Odd Future Is A Bunch Of Rape Endorsing Punks [Editorial]
No, I don’t really think that, but there seems to be a lot of others who do think so.
Odd Future’s present ascendancy unfolded before us ever so swiftly, leaving many to wonder where the black hole is that these protest inducing rebels were spit out from. The truth is though, Odd Future’s rise to fame didn’t happen over night. But really, is there ever a time when it does?
Odd Future’s villainous tendencies didn’t fare well with music blogs, many of which initially rejected their music. But what’s a rap blog when you have a cult like following? The bands rise began when L.A. publicist Heathcliff Berru caught wind of a YouTube video. You hear the stories right, and wonder What are the odds? But the odds were in their favor. The lesson to learn kids…you never know who’s watching.
Earl
You may have seen the video, “Earl,” with its unapologetic rhymes and morbid visuals. Well, not so much morbid as they are plain disgusting. I mean really, have you watched that thing? But the video’s shock value apparently wowed Berru enough to spark an interest in the group, who at that point was on its third year run and lashing out free mixtapes on their Tumblr blog. Tracking the collective would be the easy part, however, getting them to cooperate would be quite another.
“Tyler has a big vision — and that vision never included having a publicist,” Berru tells The Pheonix writer Chris Faraone.
Several months of free PR work, and countless interviews later, OFWGKTA hit all the right avenues and caught listens from all the right people. Fader, MTV, New York Times, NPR, Jimmy Fallon…check! Odd Future was being heard, and those unwilling to listen before no longer mattered.
Odd Future and their loyal Wolf Gang constituents are for the most part misunderstood. The riveting tales of crowd diving, violent outbreaks and just pure uproar prove to be more than just fascinating exaggerations, in photos that at times are more so gross than they are engrossing. I clearly remember a picture that is now entrenched in the bottomless pit of Tyler, The Creator’s tweets, a photo was taken of a concert-goer with blood dripping down his face, and nonchalance in his composure.
I only got kicked in the head, and my face is bleeding…no big deal.
But this is one of the lesser offenses that could be expected. On any given day, Odd Future could spark a digital controversy (I’m thinking of one in particular between a photographer and legendary producer…both which will remain nameless, but those of you who witnessed it will know what I’m talking about), inspire riots at autograph signings, or the most recent, offend domestic violence activists to the extent of raising money in protest of their show.
I am referring to the recent uprising started by an agency in Chicago, who works towards bringing awareness to issues relating to domestic violence and other rights. These individuals took it as a personal attack when Odd Future was added to the line-up of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, which took place after the second week in July. Initially the protest was painted more like an impending uprising. The result? Flyer’s were passed, Odd Future performed, and Tyler, The Creator brought red velvet cupcakes to the activist’s booth. Some protest eh?
Tyler was even kind enough to dedicate the last song of their performance to Between Friends, the group who initiated the protest.
“I dedicate this beautiful song to every person who don’t like me,” Tyler announced before starting “Radicals.”
“To every protester supposedly here, to every organization, every fag&ot-A$$ who’s writing a review, I want you to suck my di*k. To everyone else, you should go fuc*in’ crazy!” The crowd roared, “Kill people, burn Shyte, Fawk school!”
But this was before Tyler gave a special shoutout during the set to his special protesting friends.
“Big shout out to the domestic violence group that’s here – we love you guys,” said Tyler, the Creator. “World peace,” added Hodgy Beats.
Tyler The Creator Ft. Frank Ocean – “She”
Now that we ponder the possibility that Tyler, The Creator and his coalition may not be the malignant demons portrayed by their music, it leaves the question What’s their intent? It’s clearly not to r@pe women and cause harm onto the human race.
The band’s frontman Tyler, The Creator has addressed the gory lyrical content in past interviews. And truth be told, even after hearing him rap about raping a “pregnant b**ch” on his recent solo album, what he has to say actually makes sense.
You hear him speak and think ‘Wow, he’s not just a misogynistic monster with a horror movie of an album after all.‘ Then again, with a mantra such as Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, it’s hard to convince people otherwise, and we’re talking about social activists with 25-years invested into saving helpless women from beasts like Tyler.
“When I make a song, it’s like a movie to me, I want to go into detail,” says Tyler in an interview. “Every song is a story, everybody thinks about dark Shyte, why when somebody finally says it it’s such a big deal? People go, ‘All he talks about is r@pe.’
Have you seen Quentin Tarantino’s movie? Why does everyone get their package cut off or some Shyte? Why don’t anybody say something about that? It’s Fawking art, why when a black kid says it, it’s such a big Fawking deal? It’s a story line, I’m writing [songs] from the mind of some serial killer from 30 years ago who was a white male.”
Tyler has a point. No one questioned Stephen King when he published his own gory works of fiction. When storyline’s dabble in vile fancies it’s frowned upon in Hip-Hop, but when it’s done in horror movies, books or rock music it’s entertainment? Countless people I’ve spoken with who have encountered the Odd Future frontman had nothing but kind words about the young musician.
“People just choose to be offended by stuff. If they are, then that sucks and I’m sorry, but they don’t have to keep listening,” says Syd the Kid, 18, the group’s in-house sound engineer and only female member. “Words are words. They don’t act out what they say, they just say it.”
Obviously the band’s music isn’t smooth sailing, it was a task in itself digesting enough of Tyler, The Creator’s album, Goblin just to review it. How the members create such brooding music without becoming clinically depressed—or insane, is by me. But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and as far as we’ve seen these kids aren’t hurting anybody…except maybe themselves. As for those mindlessly consuming their music without question, that may present a different problem which we have yet to see.
