Odd Future

Odd Future

Odd Future and Trash Talk performing together in September 2012.
Background information
Also known as
  • OFWGKTA
  • Wolf Gang
  • Golf Wang
  • Loiter Squad
  • X gang. Bacon Boys
  • Flog Gnaw
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Alternative hip hop
Years active 2007−present
Labels Odd Future Records
Associated acts
Website oddfuture.com
Members

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, normally shortened to Odd Future and abbreviated to OFWGKTA (stylized OFWGK†Δ), is an American hip hop collective from Ladera Heights, California. The collective was led by rapper and producer Tyler, The Creator, and included rappers Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, and Mike G, singer, songwriter and rapper Frank Ocean, producers Left Brain, Syd tha Kyd, Matt Martians, Pyramid Vritra and other non-musical members, notably Jasper Dolphin, Taco Bennett, L-Boy and Lucas Vercetti. There are multiple smaller groups inside the collective. The three active groups are The Internet, The Jet Age of Tomorrow, and the group HOG SLAUGHTA BOYZ (Earl Sweatshirt and Na'kel Smith).

History

2007–09: Early career

Odd Future formed around 2006-2007 in Los Angeles. The original members were founder Tyler, the Creator (Tyler Okonma), Left Brain (Vyron Turner), Hodgy Beats (Gerard Damien Long), Matt Martians (Matthew Martin), Jasper Dolphin (Davon Wilson) and Casey Veggies (Casey Jones), the latter of which appeared only on the group's debut mixtape before branching out to other projects. However Casey Veggies remains a close contributor. At some point before the release of Bastard, Chicago-based rapper brandUn DeShay collaborated with the group, and appeared on the track "Session," but Tyler and DeShay had a falling out, and his vocals on "Session" were replaced by Mike G. Much of their early music was recorded in a room of Syd the Kyd and Taco's South Central Los Angeles home, known as the Trap.

2010: Rise in popularity

2009-2010 saw several new members arrive: Domo Genesis (Domonique Cole), Earl Sweatshirt (Thebe Kgositsile), Mike G (Michael Griffin II), and Frank Ocean (Christopher Breaux). Shortly after the 2010 release of his debut album Earl, member Earl Sweatshirt was subsequently absent from the group, after being sent to a boarding school in Samoa by his mother for two years.

The group completed a two-stop tour, their first outside of Los Angeles: in London, England, on November 5, 2010, and New York City on November 8. The concert at The Drop in London sold out within 48 hours of announcement by the group. Their concerts have been compared to punk rock shows, with stagediving, moshing, and group members antagonizing the crowd.[1][2]

2011–2015: Solo releases, TV show, radio station

Odd Future and Pharrell Williams performing together in April 2011

MellowHype re-released their album BlackenedWhite through Fat Possum Records. Tyler, the Creator also signed a one album deal with XL Recordings and released his sophomore effort, Goblin, on May 10, 2011. They have collected a cult following, and have received press attention from blogs and magazines.[3] Though they are often labeled as horrorcore, the group has universally dismissed it on Twitter,[4] in interviews,[5] and on tracks such as "Sandwitches". Pitchfork Media has labeled the group as indie rap.[6] In April 2011, the group signed a deal with RED Distribution and Sony Music Entertainment to start their own label, Odd Future Records.[7] On August 2, 2011, Odd Future announced on their website the Golf Wang Tour 2011.[8] The tour included 27 stops, beginning on September 28, 2011 in San Diego, California at the House of Blues.[9]

On September 8, 2011, it was announced that Odd Future would be making a television show called Loiter Squad. The show was announced to be a sketch comedy show featuring various skits and pranks and originally aired on March 25, 2012 on Adult Swim. The show features Tyler, Jasper, Taco, Earl and Lionel as main cast members with other members of Odd Future making cameo appearances.[10][11] The program is produced by Dickhouse Productions, which also is the production company for Jackass.

On October 3, 2011, Tyler, The Creator tweeted a link to iTunes with a compilation album of 12 old Odd Future songs from artists within the group such as Domo Genesis, Hodgy Beats, Mike G, The Jet Age of Tomorrow, MellowHype, The Internet, and Tyler himself. The album is simply named 12 Odd Future Songs, despite having 13 tracks, including a brand new release by The Internet. On March 20, 2012, the collective released their debut album, The OF Tape Vol. 2. The album was a sequel to the original mixtape, The Odd Future Tape. On the same day, Earl Sweatshirt, who was absent from Odd Future from June 2010 until February 2012, first performed with the group at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.[12][13]

Frank Ocean released his debut studio album channel ORANGE on July 17, 2012. Other solo releases for the second half of 2012 included Domo Genesis's No Idols with The Alchemist, released on August 1, and MellowHype's Numbers, released on October 9.[14][15] On December 5, 2012 it was announced Frank Ocean was nominated for six awards at the 55th Grammys, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year for "Thinkin Bout You" and Album of the Year for channel ORANGE.

On April 2, Tyler, The Creator released his second studio album, Wolf, which received positive reviews from critics and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 selling, 89,895 copies in the United States.[16][17] Earl Sweatshirt released his debut studio album Doris on August 20, 2013, which was met with critical acclaim, and MellowHigh released their self-titled debut album together on October 31, 2013.[18]

An excerpt of a sting used on Odd Future Radio.

On September 12, the Odd Future station premiered on the online 24/7 radio, Dash Radio, which was released the month before by DJ Skee. The station features a live playlist, special links such as "Taco Tuesday" (also repeated on Fridays) and coverage of live events, such as the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, also hosted by Odd Future.[19]

2015-Present: Disbandment and Reunion

On January 18, 2015, Hodgy Beats confirmed that MellowHype will no longer exist. Although he and Left Brain will continue to make music together, just no longer under the name MellowHype. Hodgy states in the interview, "Nah, we ain't breaking up. Nah, this ain't no weirdo shit. It's just some real shit. It's a refocus. Going from boys to men this is what it is. So it's either understand it, 'cause it will be explained–cry about it, talk shit, applaud us–we still moving." [20] However, MellowHigh continues to make music as trio, releasing a new song in November 2015.[21]

In May 2015, Tyler posted a photo on Twitter from 2010 which contained the entire Odd Future collective. He added "although it's no more, those 7 letters [OFWGKTA] are forever."[22] This was widely believed to be a confirmation of the collective's dissolution. However, the next day he explained that his tweet was misinterpreted and was merely "looking at old photos with friends and thinking about how time flies."[23] The next day, member Earl Sweatshirt wrote: "No sympathy for male virgins who're in their feelings about Tyler pointing out and solidifying the obvious."[24] This caused an Internet debate over whether "the obvious" was referring to Tyler's first statement or his second. On June 30, Matt Martians seemingly confirmed to AllHipHop that Odd Future had indeed broken up, but that there were "no hard feelings among the members of OFWGKTA."[25]

"OFWGKTA" was listed on the bill for Tyler, the Creator's 4th Annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival.[26] The line-up that performed included Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, Mike G and Left Brain. Tyler and Earl were not a part of the set due to Tyler already having a solo show and Earl having amicably[27] distanced himself from Odd Future around the release of his third album I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside.

During the Odd Future set at the 4th Annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, Hodgy Beats called out Tyler, The Creator onstage about his dissatisfaction with Tyler, and remarking how he "stayed broke", and was also visibly irritated when other Odd Future members thanked Tyler for the invite to the carnival.[28] Tyler responded to Hodgy in the middle of his solo set, saying "Niggas got me fucked up. I put too many niggas on. I helped too many of my motherfucking friends out, and niggas gonna come foul? You know who the fuck I'm talking about, nigga. And yes, this is real." Hodgy responded to these remarks on Twitter by saying "If it wasn't for Odd Future, where would Tyler be?" and "Think about who built the name OF together as a unit. Now think about who took the first initial shit on OF." However, one day later, a humorous Instagram video, uploaded by Hodgy, featured him and Tyler attempting to perform handstands; possibly suggesting that the feud had been dissolved. The video was later removed.[29]

Members

Tyler, The Creator the de facto leader of Odd Future.
Current members

Former members

Timeline

Sub-Groups

Current Groups

Former Groups

Controversy

Odd Future were scheduled to appear at the February, 2014 Rapture Festival in Auckland, New Zealand, as a supporting act to Eminem. The group were not on the original bill, but were substituting for Kendrick Lamar after the concert had been sold out.[30] A campaign was launched by an anti-violence group to prevent Odd Future performing, based partly on prior occurrences of the group supposedly inciting violence by their fans towards members of the public, and by the group's lyrics allegedly supporting rape and violence towards women.[31] Immigration New Zealand canceled the visa of some group members because of prior acts of inciting violence, including one where the group allegedly encouraged fans to attack members of the police.[32]

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

Compilations

Individual Artist Discography With Odd Future

Tyler, The Creator

Hodgy Beats

Pyramid Vritra

Domo Genesis

Mike G

Chopped and Screwed Mixtapes

Frank Ocean

Earl Sweatshirt

The Internet

MellowHype

MellowHigh

BrandUn DeShay

The Jet Age of Tomorrow

Left Brain

Syd Tha Kid

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Awful Result
2011 O Music Awards Best Web-Born Artist Nominated[33]
MTV2 Sucker Free Awards Best Crew of 2011 Nominated[34]
2013 NME Awards Best International Band Nominated[35]

References

  1. ↑ Gabe Meline (February 23, 2011). "Live Review: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All at Slim's, San Francisco". North Bay Bohemian. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  2. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher M. (November 9, 2010). "The Live Insanity that Is Odd Future Wolf Gang...". Spin Magazine Online. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ CarolineRyder (October 14, 2010). "The Future Is Odd – Page 1 – Music – Los Angeles". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Ofwgkta Twitter". Twitter. Oct 8, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Thrasher Skateboard Magazine | Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All". Thrashermagazine.com. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ Plagenhoeff, Scott. "Tyler, The Creator". Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  7. ↑ Markman, Rob (April 26, 2011). "Odd Future To Ink Deal With Sony's RED Distribution – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ "OFWGKTA official Tumblr page". August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  9. ↑ "OFWGKTA announces 2011 tour". August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Adult Swim Picks Up Live-Action Series with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All". Adultswim.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  11. ↑ "Loiter Squad Airs On March 25, 2012". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  12. ↑ "Exclusive: We Found Earl Sweatshirt". Complex. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  13. ↑ Earl Sweatshirt Performs With Odd Future In NYC « ILLROOTS. Illroots.com (2012-03-21). Retrieved on 2012-05-06.
  14. ↑ "4 Strikes". Twitter. July 11, 2012.
  15. ↑ "OFWGKTA". tumblr.com.
  16. ↑ "Building Album Sales Chart". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  17. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Sells Nearly 90k Copies of "Wolf" His First Week". Complex. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  18. ↑ Trevor Smith. "Artwork & Release Date Revealed For Mellowhype & Domo Genesis' "MellowHigh"". HotNewHipHop.
  19. ↑ "Odd Future Launch Their Own 24-Hour Radio Station". MissInfo. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Hodgy Beats Says MellowHype Is No More". HipHopDX.
  21. 1 2 "Odd Future Official Soundcloud" "Soundcloud".
  22. ↑ Tyler, the Creator (2015-05-28). "@fucktyler on Twitter". Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  23. ↑ "@fucktyler on Twitter". 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  24. ↑ "Earl Sweatshirt Weighs In On Odd Future Break-Up". BallerStatus.com. May 29, 2015.
  25. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: The Internet's Matt Martians Explains Why Odd Future Needed To Come To A Close". AllHipHop. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Odd Future to Make Live Return at Tyler, the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival". Pitchfork Media. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  27. ↑ "THEBE AND I ARE FINE BTW". @fucktyler on Twitter. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  28. ↑ . Typical Labs. 15 November 2015 http://typicalbs.com/2015/11/15/tyler-the-creator-calls-out-hodgy-beats-on-stage-camp-flog-gnaw/. Retrieved 15 November 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ . Pitchfork Media. 15 November 2015 http://pitchfork.com/news/62120-tyler-the-creator-and-hodgy-beats-fight-as-odd-future-continues-to-disintegrate/. Retrieved 16 November 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ "Nzherald.co.nz".
  31. ↑ "Call to ban Odd Future". Stuff.
  32. ↑ "Odd Future refused entry to New Zealand - Entertainment - NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. February 13, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Offbeat, Outrageous, Online". O Music Awards. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  34. ↑ "Sucker Free | Vote". MTV. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  35. ↑ "The Rolling Stones, Tame Impala, Haim and MIA lead NME Awards nominations – vote now!". New Musical Express. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.

External links

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