Earl Sweatshirt returns with a new video promising a new sound. “Making The Band (Danity Kane)” is a bit of a departure from the murky, sample-driven music longtime fans might associate with Earl, featuring a glitchy, uptempo beat produced by Clams Casino and Evilgiane that prompts a more contemporary approach to rap from the Los Angeles native. Never fear, though; Earl’s bars remain packed to the brim with multisyllabic metaphors and his brusque stance toward hit-making hip-hop.
“Making The Band” is Earl’s first new track of the year and continues the musical evolution from his 2022 album Sick! Considered one of the best hip-hop albums of the year, Sick! saw Earl inching toward a more mainstream-friendly sound, embracing 808s and less layered loops, and looking very much like he was having more fun rapping than he ever had before.
Online, he’s also presented a more humorous outlook, taking things in stride when he was confused for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie by a contestant on Jeopardy! and jokingly requesting sports journalists to ask Jimmy Butler about his fake locs during the NBA season.
Meanwhile, we’re going on two years now since Vince Staples revealed he, Earl, and Alchemist were working on a joint project, so the streets need that before anything else. Please and thank you.
In the meantime, check out Earl’s video for “Making The Band (Danity Kane)” above.
