Back in mid-February this year, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All gave their debut televised performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. From the moment the two masked rappers took to the stage amidst a haze of buzzing synths, the song ‘Sandwitches’ slowly but surely descended into madness as the group charged through the studio terrorising the interviewees. On the surface, Odd Future’s performance gave an impression of ragged, messy spontaneity, almost accidental in its brilliance. But by the time the audience had joined in with the chorused shouts of ‘WOLF! GANG! WOLF! GANG!’, any question over the level of calculation behind the performance had become merely academic; Odd Future had made their entrance and suddenly the world was listening.
A sprawling collective of 11 rappers, producers and ‘non-musical’ members, Odd Future’s central figure is Tyler Okonma, a.k.a. Tyler, The Creator. A producer of considerable talent, as well as one of the group’s most accomplished rappers, Tyler released his sophomore solo record Goblin to widespread acclaim. As the first Odd Future associated album to be released through a record label, Goblin signals the advent of a new era for Odd Future as they cement their place in the mainstream consciousness.
‘I’m a fucking walking paradox’, declares Tyler at the opening of Goblin’s lead single ‘Yonkers’, his hollow off-kilter beats limping awkwardly beneath the distinctive rasp of his voice. As a Slipknot-obsessed skater boy who now, aged only 20, has found himself hailed as the saviour of modern hip hop, every aspect of Tyler’s success seems contradictory. Wildly ambitious, claiming in interviews that he’s ‘coming for Kanye West’s head’, Tyler appears to crave mainstream success as much as he fiercely rejects all notions of conformity.
The absurd, almost cartoonish, levels of violent imagery in Odd Future’s lyrics should have rendered widespread acceptance impossible, but in fact the most polarising aspect of their music has been instrumental in their rise to prominence. That Odd Future’s intentionally transgressive approach has been so enthusiastically embraced by a wide base of listeners is symptomatic of today’s post-modern, ‘anything goes’ musical climate. Indeed, the unprecedented success of Odd Future’s music is a 21st century phenomenon through and through.
Without help from a large record label or, until recently, significant media coverage, this gaggle of teenagers have generated their very own multimedia brand through their Tumblr, YouTube videos and album artwork. The technology at Odd Future’s disposal, in both music production and distribution, has provided channels for their vision to reach their listeners completely unadulterated. And that’s one of the greatest attractions of the group’s music. Seeing directly into the minds of the members of Odd Future can at times be disturbing but listening to the grotesque stories that they spin, like Tyler’s twisted ‘Sarah’ in which he graphically kidnaps and murders the girl who rejected him, is strangely fascinating.
The aura currently surrounding Odd Future has put them in a bizarrely strong position to do, pretty much, whatever the hell they want. The hype accompanying their recent appearances at Notting Hill Arts Club and Camden Crawl only confirms the tangible sense of excitement amongst listeners as they anticipate the collective’s next move. Whatever degree of self awareness may or may not exist behind Odd Future’s hyperactive facade, the belief and energy which courses through their music has made them almost impossible to ignore. As news broke of the signing of a major deal with Sony to start their very own Odd Future Records, what began merely as a blog curiosity has become an international sensation and it seems it’ll be a long time before Tyler and co. are ready to release their stranglehold on the musical limelight.
