Earl Sweatshirt - SICK! (Album)

I hate to start this off throwing shade & although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, actually listen to the music before you form it & yes, I’m talking to you Joe Budden. It’s especially upsetting coming from a lyricist like him cause I know he understands this more than most in that media space so it sucks seeing him be such a conformist & abandon, let alone trash what got him there to begin with but I digress, this isn’t about him, it’s about Earl, who delivers his finest work to date. And that’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed his abstract output since 2018’s “Some Rap Songs”. “SICK!” is a much more accessible album in terms of its musicality, it’s not so much of that avant- grade, left field sound that Joe just can’t seem to appreciate.

I’m sorry to keep bringing it up but this will be the last time, you know what, forget it. If you can’t appreciate an album that opens up with that soulful Alchemist production then you should just leave now. The production just continues to intrigue with the airiness Black Noise provides Earl to open his third eye over & simply levitate gracefully over like the God that he is. I don’t believe I’ve heard jazzy loops be combined with subdued trap as beautifully as the Ancestors have done here & Earl’s sludgy flow as he slurs with the utmost bounce over this minimalist beauty is so impressive. Anybody that don’t believe in the “Vision”, simply don’t have the eye sight to be able to & it’s okay, let their third eye remain closed.

Armand Hammer being the only other feature on here besides Zelooperz proves that only few are capable of matching Earl’s energy. Armand has been creeping up on listeners slowly & I hope he continues to bring the hammer down with even more force after his performance here, which Earl honestly let him have the floor on this track. Back with more of that soulful, dusty loop magic that Alchemist always supplies us with, Earl’s conversational abstract flow continues to warp the listener’s mind cause it just forces your ear to listen. It’s actually perfect that the production throughout this project isn’t doing too much cause it allows you to really focus on & admire how much his lyricism has grown over the years. Your loss Joe Budden.