kerble wrote:The thing that fascinates me about Odd Future isn't really the shock-value or the beats, or the lyrics (which I enjoy, but am not compelled to revisit after the initial perusal), is how these kids have taken the rein on the production end of things. I don't mean 'production' in the cheesy audio recording definition we've grown to be wary of.
I'm far more impressed at the 'roll your own' ethos that goes throughout their art. I really like that they make their own beats and videos. they do their own album art, build their own websites, mix their own records, and have an insane adeptness with social media stuff and other DIY components. they're shrewd and manipulative, and it represented a signifier of a paradigm shift for young rappers.
I would agree with this, by and large, and it's probably the reason i keep trying to find a way into their music that i'll enjoy. Granted, i've only really listened to Goblin so far, and overall i found it fairly underwhelming and not able to live up to the hype. The pitch shifted therapist who keeps breaking in to the songs is *really* stupid, and pulls me out of the experience of the album every time.
With re: to the whole "faggot" thing, i'm reminded of Boris the Sprinkler albums in the 90s and Rev. Norb's Maximumrocknroll columns. He often used the word "fag" and repeatedly disclaimed that he meant the word in the context of a schoolyard insult with no sexual orientation attached (i can see where he's coming from on that tip--when i was in grade school in the 80s the "i pledge allegiance to the flag/Michael Jackson is a fag" rhyme was really popular at my school, but i had no idea what a gay person was [hell, i didn't even know how sex worked until i was 10]; i just assumed a "fag" was a term for a weird, strange, eccentric person). All that being said, when i go back and listen to some of Norb's lyrics now, they are super clever and hold up well, but the "fag" references haven't aged well, at all. It sounds to me now like a dude who's pissed that he can't use a word he's used his whole life in a different context, trying to do some intellectual gymnastics to justify it so he doesn't have to modify his own speech. Decide for yourself whether or not that's a noble goal, i guess, and you can probably arrive at your stance on OF's use of the word, if i understand their rationale for it.
But bottom line, the music's not doing it for me yet, so whatever. Sorry that i don't understand rap, Antero.