Earl Sweatshirt

Overview

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As well as being a member of controversial hip hop collective Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt has progressed by leaps and bounds as a solo act.

The Los Angeles rapper-producer first gained recognition for his debut mixtape, Earl, which was named the 24th-best album of 2010. Presumably because of the album's raw lyrical references to drugs, murder and sex, Sweatshirt was shipped off to a boarding school in Samoa by his mother. Upon returning on his 18th birthday, he released his debut studio album, Doris, to wide critical acclaim; receiving perfect scores from The Guardian and LA Times. The album featured cameos from fellow Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, RZA and The Neptunes.

His sophomore album, I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside: An Album By Earl Sweatshirt, was released in April of this year, though he says he considers it to be his first album because he feels he can back up everything he says - the good and the bad. It was quickly followed by the standalone 10-minute track 'Solace'.

Sweatshirt last played in New Zealand as part of the 2014 Laneway festival, where he reportedly gave 112%. His latest visit comes off the back of an appearance at Australian festival Splendour in the Grass. He will perform in Wellington and Auckland.