Smells Like Teen Spite Critics Are Saying You Need to See Odd Future’S Show at Pitchfork
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Summer Music Preview Smells like teen spite Critics are saying you need to see Odd Future’s show at Pitchfork. You do not. There are 99 problems with Tyler, the Creator’s crew, and bitch is just one. By Brent DiCrescenzo Bologna slices leave marks on cars. few of us would gather to record capture our pranks and punk songs This is not far off from how it A glass Snapple bottle, aluminum obnoxious hardcore cassettes with on YouTube. Some hip blog like happened for Odd Future. Tyler foil and cement cleaner make a our band, Stihspid—Dipshits Gorilla vs. Bear sniffs out a track. Okonma (a.k.a. Tyler, the Creator) is simple, loud bomb. I know these backward. One tape’s cover featured Then Pitchfork writes about it. the 20-year-old alpha male and things because I was once a bored, the image of a Buddhist monk Stihspid moves up the indie food principal producer of Odd Future, a insensitive 18-year-old kid, not that setting himself ablaze. We called it chain until we play Coachella, collective of a dozen or so teens and dissimilar from the members of L.A. Kentucky Fried Dead People. where we jump around and scream, barely twentysomethings, who also rap collective Odd Future Wolf Let’s say these antics happened as we are energetic, naive and have go by OFWGKTA, Wolf Gang or its Gang Kill Them All. After school, a today, not in the early 1990s. We a profound lack of ability. spoonerism Golf Wang. Much about PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JAMIE DIVECCHIO RAMSAY; PHOTOS: LEFT, ROGER KISBY/GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT, JULIAN BERMAN 20 TIMEOUTCHICAGO.COM Jun 30–Jul 13, 2011 331.ft.summermusic.layout.indd 20 6/23/11 4:58 PM Xxxxx The NPR article attempts to twist an intolerance of rape into an act of Why hypocrisy, while the New Yorker writer suggests it’s just a case of being book Odd uptight. In the latter piece, Tyler’s mother dismisses the haters: “If people want to take that shit [that Tyler says] Future? seriously, about whatever, then that’s Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber explains the on them.” Yeah, lighten up, square. If decision to put the controversial he’s not actually raping, what’s the hip-hop act on the fest’s lineup. damage? A few pages deeper in the When did you decide to book article, Sanneh observes an Odd Future Odd Future for the festival? concert. A 16-year-old fan climbs We booked them for the onstage. The crowd yells for her to take festival over the winter. I’d off her shirt. She refuses. The other fans seen their show at Webster chant, “Slut! Slut! Slut!” Hall in New York [in November 2010], and the energy was just off the charts. “Tyler, as a person, normally Pitchfork has always been seems really fun—goofy, sweet, focused on emerging talent, enthusiastic, lively, full of humor.” especially artists who come —nymag.com, May 10, 2011 at music from an interesting perspective and push boundaries, and they defnitely “I’m not homophobic. I just say ft the bill in that regard. faggot and use gay as an adjective to describe stupid shit.” Was there internal debate —Tyler in The Guardian, about Odd Future coverage May 7, 2011 on the site and the group’s inclusion in the festival? Yeah, there’s internal debate TEENAGE STEAM Odd When I read about Tyler, I can’t shake Future also goes by about pretty much every artist OFWGKTA, Wolf Gang the feeling I am reading about a puppy. we cover. In the case of Odd and Golf Wang. He doesn’t know any better than to piss Future, it wasn’t a question on the carpet, chew your new sneakers of whether to cover them so Odd Future is fluid and irreverent. Its official label. The record was released and insult your gay friends. Sure, there much as how to best address members have cartoon names, like by XL Recordings, home to Adele and is something charismatic about his some of the stickier points surrounding them. Hodgy Beats and Jasper Dolphin, and Vampire Weekend, and debuted at unbridled adolescence. Odd Future a wide array of hip-hop and R&B No. 5 on the Billboard charts. makes juicy, relatable content for Did you receive a lot of mail styles, ranging from Frank Ocean’s Here is the most common defense of moody teenage boys. Tyler rants about in response to rating Tyler’s innocuous crooning to Tyler’s gothic, Odd Future: You should not be how much he hates school; he fights Goblin an 8 out of 10? minimalist beatmaking. outraged because they are doing with his family; he wrestles with Not an unusual amount. Like any review we run, there Odd Future has eschewed the nothing new. (Eminem and Biggie chronic masturbation habits. But as were people who thought it decrepit industry circuit of touring, pulled similar antics more than a someone who no longer makes bombs was too negative, some who retail and radio. The crew gave away decade ago.) But you should be amazed out of Snapple bottles, I fail to see how thought it was too positive, its albums online and built a fanbase at how groundbreaking they are. Look any middle-aged journalist would find and others who felt it was via social media. But none of this is past the rape. NPR titled its essay, “Why these topics interesting or insightful. pretty spot-on. revolutionary. This is not the reason You Should Listen to the Rap Group He is a kid who is pushing buttons to Have you been contacted The New Yorker, NME, The New York Odd Future, Even Though It’s Hard.” (A get famous, not to provoke thought. He or pressured by any Times, Pitchfork, NPR and other common misconception among music asks us to ponder rape, suicide and rights groups? esteemed outlets have run glowing snobs is that accessibility is a weakness, jerking off as much as Charlie Sheen Nah, I think the jury is still out profiles of Odd Future. No, the group is that you are somehow more erudite and provides insight into winning. for a lot of people, in terms of buzzed about because of its vile, sophisticated for being able to And the music itself? Odd Future’s what their stage show is about. homophobic and misogynistic lyrics. withstand aggressive music.) records are average at best. Tyler’s Are you worried at all Well, misogynistic is putting it lightly. flow brings to mind Ludacris with a about what will happen Beer commercials are misogynistic. “Odd Future’s willfully charred larynx. The bare beats are at the festival? repugnant lyrics…are designed cheap knockoffs of Pharrell Williams. I didn’t know what to expect “By the way, we do punch bitches.” to nettle cosmopolitan Goblin grinds on for an excessive 80- from them in a festival setting “Gun to her head make your bitch listeners.” plus minutes. An anemic centerpiece, at frst, but I’ve seen them at massage my shoulders.” —Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, “Radicals,” even fails to deliver its two other big fests now, and it’s basically like a metal or —Jasper Dolphin and Tyler on May 23, 2011 mantra—“Kill people! Burn shit! punk concert. When Les Savy “Bitch Suck Dick” Fuck school!”—with gusto. As the Fav or Mastodon or Boris have “Some of these guys [writing track opens, Tyler hedges his bets: “If played in previous years, those In Odd Future songs, women are about Odd Future] take a casual anything happens, don’t fucking who weren’t down with being in beaten, killed, raped and treated as interest in black men killing blame me.” Nothing says anarchy a mosh pit or getting stage- nothing more than ejaculate other black men on record on a quite like a disclaimer. You need not dived onto just hung back a bit. I’m sure lots of people will receptacles. But mostly raped. On regular basis with nary a cry of loathe Odd Future just because it is check out the other stage or “Tron Cat,” Tyler spits, “rape a morality. But as soon as women vulgar. You can write the group off hang out in the grass during pregnant bitch, tell my friends I had a or homosexuals become the because it is cruddy. their set, and those who’re threesome.” Rape is a predominant target it’s a talking point.” excited for it will be front and theme of Goblin, the first album Tyler —Andrew Nosnitsky, npr.org, Odd Future plays Pitchfork July 17 at center. I’m pretty curious myself.—BD PHOTO: JULIAN BERMAN has offered in physical form on an Feb 22, 2011 3:20pm on the Red stage. Jun 30–Jul 13, 2011 TIMEOUTCHICAGO.COM 21 331.ft.summermusic.layout.indd 21 6/23/11 4:58 PM.