I'm Bad Milk - Drink Me

I snagged Tyler the Creator's Bastard late last year and listened to it a few times, but I had no idea that he (or his collective - Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All [OFWGKTA, natch]) was so hot until I saw that he was one of the showstoppers at SXSW.

This stuff is generally filed under the label "horrorcore" . . . which seems about right, given how over-the-top violent and misogynist it is.  And yet (there's always an "and yet" when it comes to middle-aged white guys apologizing for politically incorrect hip-hop, isn't there?) there is a self-aware & literate edge to this which puts it in the realm of classic transgressive literature like Georges Bataille, Leopold Sacher-Masoch, Octave Mirbeau, Marquis de Sade, etc. . . . that is, it may be vile, but it can't be dismissed as just the same old regressive/repressive/reactionary bullshit.  If you have a strong stomach, give it a listen.

Also, make sure and check out the videos, especially the live ones.  Live hip-hop is a sometimes dodgy proposition, but OFWGKTA is brilliant, especially Tyler: I've never seen an MC attack the stage like he does.

For an interesting in depth look at Tyler and OFWGKTA, check out "Odd Futurism" by Bethlehem Shoals, founder of FreeDarko.com, the best current basketball site on line.  He collects a number of videos with his essay, but it's also worth looking for their performances on Jimmy Fallon or some MTV awards show to get more of a feel for them live.  By the way: the videos, except for the TV performances, are definitely NSFW.

Tyler is dropping a slab called Goblins in early May.  Expect it to be discussed.