Earl Sweatshirt Embraced Social Distancing On "AM // Radio"

[Amber]

What a time to be alive for Earl Sweatshirt, the self-professed introvert and brilliant author of the brooding I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside. Released five years ago to this day, the former Odd Future lyricist's sophomore project served up a darker side of his consciousness, lined with murky soundscapes befitting of his deliberately lethargic flow. For many, I Don't Like Shit was a difficult hurdle to climb. Not only did it put Earl's bleak and cynical worldview on full display, but it did so over niche and discomforting production. And yet as a work of art, it's impossible to deny the project's merit.

Never has a project been less concerned with the public's response, perhaps ever. And yet for those willing to spend some dark basking in Earl's gloom, there are plenty of stellar bars to unpack. None more present than on "AM//Radio," a collaboration with New York rapper Wiki, who sets the tone with the opening verse. The man of the hour whether he likes it or not, it's Earl who ultimately takes the crown, unleashing an extensive salvo lined with clever wordplay and understated flexes. "I got the gold cause I don't do the crying bro, she Mario, I'm tryna keep the whining to a minimum," he raps. "Piggies come, bet I'm splittin' quicker than I finish rum."

Five years removed from its initial release, how do you feel about Earl's sophomore album? 

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Bitch, if yo n***a had Supreme, we was the reason he copped it
And nowadays I'm on the hunt for mirrors to box with
And some pretty bitches that ain't trip if it's a hit and run
I got the gold cause I don't do the crying, bro
She Mario, I'm tryna keep the whining to a minimum
Piggies come, bet I'm splittin' quicker than I finish rum

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