Earl Sweatshirt: I Don't Like Sh*t, I Don't Go Outside [TAN CRESSIDA/COLUMBIA]

Why you'll love it

This edition carries the album's full title on a printed inner sleeve. It debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and drew widespread critical acclaim, with a Metacritic score of 81.

This edition

• Printed inner sleeve
• Stereo mix

About the album

Some rappers fill an album with guests and hooks. Earl Sweatshirt went the other way: he produced almost all of it himself under his real name, Thebe Kgositsile, kept it to ten tracks and about half an hour, and made a record so focused it feels like you're sitting in the room with him. He was 21, and already one of the most talked-about voices of the Odd Future crew.

The beats are murky and minimal, built on warped organs and low-slung drums, and his flow weaves through them with a sing-song musicality. "Grief" was the lead single, a slow, heavy crawl, "Faucet" and "Huey" set the tone early, "Grown Ups" features Dash, "DNA" brings in Na-Kel, and "Wool" closes things with Vince Staples. Left Brain produced "Off Top," which later got an animated video.

The Los Angeles Times compared these sparse tracks to Rothko paintings, and AllMusic said the album fills the soul. The title is, of course, a perfect description of the ideal listening conditions: stay in, put it on.

Also at Kops: more Earl Sweatshirt on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Tan Cressida / Columbia, a reissue of the 2015 album.