While we wait for Tyler to drop Wolf, Earl to make a proper debut, Frank Ocean to map out something since he scrapped Nostalgia, LITE, and Jasper Dolphin to quit following behind the crew pecking at their leftovers, we have the OF Tape Vol. 2, which really doesn’t need an introduction given the summaries that have preceded it.
The collective cultural idea of Odd Future is watered-down mimicry, which isn’t an insult; redundancy is baggage to minimalism, and something to appreciate in reasonable servings, but the case of the OF Tape is overdose. OFWGKTA have tagged their signature in the proverbial tome of contemporary hip-hop with various styles of lyricism that contain their own gusto, but the John Hancock is problematic when the blank backgrounds of records like “Bitches” by Domo Genesis & Hodgy Beats become redundant and can no longer rely on abused blueprints.
The dick suck talk of “(NY) Ned Flanders” and empty monster cock adlibs of “Lean” exhaust their shock value--compare it to reaching the age where saying f*ck wasn’t such a big deal anymore. You can only beat the profits from something with cock talk and necrophilic asinities for so long before rhyming about raping the corpses of mythological cryptids while wearing a Jessica Alba mask becomes bland. “You can smell me coming like a f*ggot when he hiccups”--that’s the wordplay that makes Tyler worthwhile, but when you drown it in a septic tank of the same style from Taco and the bush league cohorts, it becomes worthless.
“Analog 2” that features Tyler, Frank Ocean and Syd is where we see the artistic progression; the three link up to try something different (Frank aside), and the product is nothing short of a success (which is probably why it’s slated to appear on Tyler’s upcoming album). It still holds that abstract haphazardly crafted Odd Future brand, but isn’t the continual “50” and “Real Bitch” Mellowhype vomit that we’ve heard carbon copies of since YelloWhite. The addition of The Internet’s “Ya Know” and Frank’s solo “White” add color to the otherwise grayscale tracklist, and the instrumentals of “Rella” and “Hcad” provide the rare changes of pace that are necessary for staying Vol. 2 from being just another album, but these are just reasonable snippets from the overall absurd method, or lack thereof.
I can only imagine the collective standing together in a room drawing names out of a hat to choose who takes which track, and throughout the album, there are obvious open seams between the emcees and production. Yes, the nihilistic style runs with the Odd Future philosophy (even though Tyler proclaims they are radicals), but it, like everything, has its faults, and is a slight that could have been fixed without losing effect. The amateur style of Mike G in “Forest Green,” sardonic “We Got Bitches” and vanilla “Doms” are examples of the cuts that weren’t cut, and the lethargy in the overall sculpture of the project leaves it something like an abandoned idea that was still published.
Odd Future followed a flawless formula in their Internet breakout last year, but a point arises where it’s time to advance the mathematics. While Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean have made themselves staples in the industry by tightening their modes and linking with notables, the remaining members of the collective are as stagnant as they were on their debuts, Earl Sweatshirt aside due to the fact that he became something of an elusive leprechaunic genius in the eyes of the public while in disciplinary exile in the South Pacific (and on the topic, it’s kind of absurd that the collective hollers “Free Earl” throughout the album when Earl is actually free and on the album…).
The final track “Oldie” tells the complete tale of the Odd Future walk so far, with Tyler exhibiting genuine purpose--This is for the n*ggas in the suburbs and the white kids with n*gga friends that say the n-word, and the ones who got called weird, f*g, bitch, nerd ‘cause you was into jazz, kitty cats, and Steven Spielberg--Jasper Dolphin finally admitting that he’s not a rapper, the remaining members staying lackluster, and Earl Sweatshirt returning in full pace. It’s the story we’ve known from the beginning--Tyler, Frank and Earl will make it, and everyone else is simply along for the ride. OF Tape Vol. 2 was their way of hanging on.
SumOlogy: as a whole, it’s the same Odd Future as always, which is starting to become a problem.
Rating: C
Follow JT Langley on Twitter: GlantonSlang
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