Reflecting on Odd Future’s Legacy
In the early 2010s, Odd Future shook up rap music and helped redefine the face of mainstream hip hop. We're reflecting on the collective's lasting impact on the culture.
Call them Odd Future, Wolf Gang or the Loiter Squad, there’s no denying their cultural impact. Started by rebellious teens and creatives; Tyler, The Creator, Hodgy Beats and Left Brain et al. in 2007.
OF was among the first crop of internet artists through and through. The group dropped their debut mixtape in October 2008.
From here Odd Future expanded its roster to include members such as; Earl Sweatshirt, Syd, Taco, Mike G, Frank Ocean and Domo Genesis. Many of the second-gen of OF members have gone on to have successful careers.
The collective had everyone from video directors, to skaters and hype men. OF did more than just music, member Lucas Vercetti dabbled in fashion and fronted the OF store.
Musically, OF was a prime example of counter-culture. The group was loud, offensive and unfiltered. Their “don’t give a fuck” attitude is what resonated with fans. Odd Future soon cultivated a robust fanbase of gen Z kids who identified with their ethos.
Odd Future struck a deal with the network Adult Swim to produce their sketch comedy show called ‘Loiter Squad’. Loiter Squad ran for over three seasons, concluding in 2014.
The de-facto leader of OF, Tyler, The Creator has gone onto release multiple successful projects. Tyler even won a Grammy for his 2019 album ‘Igor’.
Sonically, artists like Tyler and Earl ventured into cartoonishly extreme and surreal hip hop in the earlier music. Look no further than Tyler and Frank’s song ‘She’.
The track is centred around a man stalking and obsessing over a woman while she sleeps. Now, Tyler, days make more introspective, bright and funky jazz rap.
However, back in his OF days, his lyrics were potent enough to make your head spin. Odd Future has also gone onto spawn other successful sub-groups the like the R&B ensemble The Internet.
OF was lauded with controversy from the media calling them homophobic. The irony of this is the group was home to many LGBTQ+ creatives and featured some of the first openly gay rappers.
Without a doubt, Odd Future helped restructure rap’s modern sound and image. They paved the way for groups like Brockhampton with a similar creative setup.
While the collective hasn’t officially broken up, Hodgy made some fleeting claims after Tyler released his album ‘Cherry Bomb’ in 2015.
The group is still officially active, however, members like Earl Sweatshirt, Syd and Frank Ocean left the collective officially.
The Odd Future clothing line is also still active. However, the ownership and creative direction of the brand is unclear. The OF clothing line has not been endorsed by Tyle, Earl or any prominent OF member in years.
Tyler is now more focused on his Golf Le Fleur clothing line. GLF has also bagged collaborations with Lacoste and Converse.
Stream Odd Future on Spotify and Apple Music here.
