Earl survives the hype on "Doris"

Two years ago, when Odd Future blew up and Earl was nowhere to be found, the question everyone was asking was “Where is Earl?” Now, a year removed from his return, Earl seems interested in answering a better question – who is Earl?
Despite the wild amount of hype, we don’t know that much about the soft-spoken, introverted rapper. Thus far, he’s only released a short 25 minute mixtape and has about a dozen guest verses in Odd Future related material. Thankfully on “Doris”, Earl finally lets us into his world.

Lyrically, Earl’s strength has always been his presentation, rather than his substance. His mutli-syllable, internal rhymes are a blast to listen to, but you rarely get much content out of his rhymes on a surface level. “Doris” intends to flip this notion, with Earl “dispelling one trick pony myths” track after track. While Earl still revisits some of the villainous-posturing of his early days, “Doris” finds Earl facing real-life emotional content with the same lyrical flair he showed on his horror-core records. “Burgundy” paints Earl as anxious and nervous about his newfound fame, while “Chum” captures Earl reflecting on his absent father in a more mature manner than Odd Future ringleader Tyler has ever attempted.

Earl’s content is backed up with his trademark flow that will take casual rap listeners a few spins to truly sink their teeth into. Fans of MF DOOM should be able to keep up with Earl’s whirlwind rhymes though, and DOOM’s sarcastic wit shines through as a deep inspiration for Earl repeatedly. However, this is hardly a mainstream rap record, and the production is often dark and menacing with hooks that are practically an afterthought. This is an album for people that value hard-hitting rhymes and the type of grittiness that made Wu-Tang Clan a cult-obsession of the 90s.

Plenty of great guest work surrounds Earl’s talents as well, particularly in the album’s flawless first half. “Hive” sports a career launching verse from Vince Staples, and the song’s ominous beat makes it a frontrunner for underground rap song of the year. “Sunday” contains one of Earl’s most emotionally honest verses yet, and is followed by a rapped verse from Frank Ocean. Frank’s free-form verse is a treat for Ocean fans, since the R&B wunderkind rarely “raps” on record. His verse openly discusses his recent success along with his infamous fight with Chris Brown.

Elsewhere, guests like Tyler, the Creator and Mac Miller provide skilled bars, but the spotlight never drifts away from Earl. Besides the rhymes, the beats (which Earl helped compose on many of the tracks) are chilling and memorable. The most impressive beat being for the track “Centurion”, which features a goose bump inducing beat switch. It’s been Earl’s wordplay that has gotten him his success, but it’s his beat selection that might be his strongest asset in the long run.

While “Doris” is a great record, the album’s back half doesn’t quite match the wild heights of it’s first half. It never sinks into the realm of mediocrity, but tracks like the RZA-produced “Guild” feature some of Earl’s weaker rhymes. Thankfully, lyrical showcases like “Whoa” and “Knight” are never too far around the corner.
“Doris” lives up to the pre-established hype with ease. Earl refers to himself as a villain throughout the album, and like the best villains, he’s witty, unafraid to face reality, and cryptically self-aware.