I'm always skeptical of any musician or group that rises to meteoric heights in a short span of time. As a general rule I follow Flavor Flav's 'Don't Believe the Hype' decree. That's why I held a somewhat standoffish approach to all the blog love that Odd Future had initially been receiving in the past twelve months or so. But you know what? Their buzz - recently recounted by the LA Times' own Jeff Weiss - was and still is worthy of the hype. These kids are original and putting out quality music. They also don't seem to be fazed by their newfound fame. Also, they're from Los Angeles, holding it down for that Jews-meet-hipsters block on Fairfax between Rosewood and Oakwood. In short, #iFuxwitit.
During the past half-decade or so, we've witnessed Lil Wayne's impact - just one example - on hip hop culture, influencing artists like Kanye West and Jay-Z, and paving the way for new, like-minded emcees like Drake and Nicki Minaj. The landscape would be very different today if it wasn't for Lil Wayne - again, just one example. I suspect that Odd Future's sweeping popularity will cause a similar effect. Exhibit A: Houston emcee Wes Blak.
"WTF is a Wes Blak?" was Tyler, The Creator's response to a recent question posted on Formspring, mentioning apparent rumors of a signing to the Odd Future collective. I'd never heard of him until a few days ago myself, as he's only been posting videos for the past week. Is he the first in a wave of Odd Future-inspired emcees? Only time can tell...
Truthfully, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about OFWGKTA clones popping up all around the country. They're certainly better than hearing all of these Drake clones. Right? Maybe this is a good thing? After all, I've got nothing against a new breed of young emcees with tendencies for intricate lyricism and creativity. What do you think?
During the past half-decade or so, we've witnessed Lil Wayne's impact - just one example - on hip hop culture, influencing artists like Kanye West and Jay-Z, and paving the way for new, like-minded emcees like Drake and Nicki Minaj. The landscape would be very different today if it wasn't for Lil Wayne - again, just one example. I suspect that Odd Future's sweeping popularity will cause a similar effect. Exhibit A: Houston emcee Wes Blak.
"WTF is a Wes Blak?" was Tyler, The Creator's response to a recent question posted on Formspring, mentioning apparent rumors of a signing to the Odd Future collective. I'd never heard of him until a few days ago myself, as he's only been posting videos for the past week. Is he the first in a wave of Odd Future-inspired emcees? Only time can tell...
Truthfully, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about OFWGKTA clones popping up all around the country. They're certainly better than hearing all of these Drake clones. Right? Maybe this is a good thing? After all, I've got nothing against a new breed of young emcees with tendencies for intricate lyricism and creativity. What do you think?
