Misguided Talent

The good news is MellowHype, along with the rest of OFWGKTA, have nothing but time.  

This is good news because the bulk of their material is so obviously made by teens and early 20-somethings.

BlackenedWhite by Hodgy Beats and producer Left Brain is no different.  
In a hip-hop landscape dominated by violence and ultra-masculine sexual ideologies, MellowHype and the rest of Odd Future clearly feel obligated to these aesthetics.  

The lyricism, especially on some of the hooks, is so contrived that it almost sounds like a parody.

With song titles like “Gun Sounds,” “Loaded,” “Dead Deputy” and “I Got a Gun,” one would expect to hear something reminiscent of a Project Pat album.  

While Odd Future’s technical ability goes far beyond that of Pat and Three 6 Mafia, their songs often end up sounding like they’re from the streets of Compton or east St. Louis and not the suburbs of Los Angeles.  

Has Hodgy Beats really ever shot anyone? I seriously doubt it.

I had to look twice when I noticed a track titled “Fuck the Police.”  
It’s like Kings of Leon coming out with an original song and titling it “Stairway to Heaven.” It’s blasphemous.

As per all Odd Future releases, the production value is top-notch.
Left Brain crafts dark, edgy beats that are far better quality than any of the verses Hodgy Beats or the other Odd Future members spit over top.

Though Hodgy’s work feels immature, it is clear he has real potential — if only he would get past trying to be “hard.”  

Odd Future has a real chance to be revolutionary in the hip-hop genre, but they need to alter their aesthetics or at least offer something more realistic.

By Jake Amrhein