The Shoemaker Bugle

By: Isaiah Almanza

Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, released his latest album titled Sick! On January 14, 2022 which is a follow up to his 2019 EP FEET OF CLAY. Sick! consists of 10 tracks with 2 of those songs having features from underground rap duo Armand Hammer (Billy Woods and Elucid) and Bruiser Brigade member Zelooperz. While Armand Hammer and Sweatshirt have collaborated in the past on Falling out Of The Sky and Ramseees II this marks the fourth collaboration with Zelooperz.

Earl released “2010” in November as the lead single followed by “Tabula Rasa” Ft. Armand Hammer in December then “Titanic” in January. My favorite songs individually are “Tabula Rasa,” “Old Friend,” “2010,” “Titanic,” and “God Laughs.” 2 of the 10 tracks were produced by recent producer The Alchemist the other 8 tracks were produced by others such as Black Noi$e, Alexander Spit, Navy Blue, Samiyam, Rbchmbrs and Theravada.

The album was conceived as the world’s state-of-mind was compromised during the Covid-19 pandemic. Earl stated in a press interview that, “Before the virus, I had been working on an album I named after a book I used to read with my mother (The People Could Fly). Once the lockdowns hit, people couldn’t fly anymore. A wise man said art imitates life. People were sick. These songs are what happened when I would come up for air.” This shows how Earl Sweatshirt has grown as a artist and as a human with past works such as 2015 I Don’t Like S***, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt with Thebe rapping about his darkest demons and feeling like that was his first album he can stand behind. 

My overall review of the album would be 8.5 out of 10, as some of the songs are unique to Earl Sweatshirt such as “Titanic” or “God Laughs”. Each song has its flaws but it is countered with the great lyricism and beats made that fit the songs titles.