Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is the performing name of Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Chicago and Santa Monica. He is associated with Odd Future and Earlwolf, and his work is tagged across abstract hip hop, alternative hip hop, cloud rap, drumless hip hop, experimental and experimental hip hop. He releases music through Tan Cressida and randomblackdude Publishing LLC.

Early career

He first appears as a teenage member of the Odd Future circle and releases his debut mixtape, EARL, as a free digital download on the OFWGKTA website. Tyler, the Creator helps with its release. The mixtape establishes him as one of the key early figures around the collective.

Reform school period

Between 2010 and 2012, he is sent to a reform school. During this period, the #FreeEarl meme circulates in response to his absence from public music activity.

Studio albums and later releases

His debut studio album, Doris, arrives in 2013 and receives wide critical acclaim. He follows it with I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt in 2015, which is also very well received. In 2018 he releases Some Rap Songs, his final album for Columbia. He then issues the EP Feet of Clay in 2019 on Warner Records, followed by Sick! in 2022, also on Warner Records.