Photos by Jack Gobbe
There aren’t many artists like Earl Sweatshirt. For over a decade, the LA rapper has carved out his own lane in hip-hop, influencing a new wave of artists while also leaning into other pockets of the genre to evolve his sound. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear someone listening to Earl for the first time comment on how his raps wouldn’t transition well into a live setting.
And at first, they have a point. Earl’s songs typically feature abstract production filled with chopped pianos and other soul samples. Paired with his signature drawl, an Earl Sweatshirt song is typically an introspective listening experience. Although it only took a few minutes at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane to fall under Earl’s spell.
Walking on stage to the famous “Riot” instrumental, Earl’s calm but confident presence was felt from the get go. Kicking off with one of our personal favourites, “ E Coli”, the swaying Alchemist-produced tune was a perfect backdrop to Earl’s intricate rhyme schemes.
With a discography so diverse at this point, we were keen to see how Earl shared his various projects throughout the setlist. While his recent collaboration album with Alchemist “Voir Dire” was frequented, fans were also treated to some older favourites. Whether it was “Molasses” from his debut 2013 album “Doris”, or “Grief” from his melancholic opus “I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside”, any hardcore fan left the show feeling fufilled.
Although where Earl treated fans most was his string of unreleased tracks throughout the set, with one in particular featuring a bouncy BNYX beat and Earl leaning into a trap-inspired sound that he has increasingly grown fond of since his 2022 album “SICK”. If it wasn’t apparent already, the night truly felt like a tribute to his fans when he closed with “New Faves v2”, a Mac Miller deep cut featuring a classic Earl verse.
It’s safe to say that this night was one for the fans. But it’s also important to recognise that Earl’s back catalogue now has something for everyone, and it felt like many had grown an even fonder appreciation for this wordsmith once they were leaving The Princess Theatre.
