“MTOMB” is a track that appears on Earl Sweatshirt’s new project, FEET OF CLAY. It’s not every time listeners get to hear Earl rapping on a soulful beat but this 1 minute and 10 seconds long track leaves the ears wanting more. Similar to Some Rap Songs, the EP is filled with short singles (except “4N” which is about 4 minutes long. Personally, I like Earl’s recent style of lo-fi short songs – its unique, repeat-worthy, and deep. The beats in his new music might be tagged as “weird” but that’s the beauty of songs like “MTOMB.”
Breaking down the project, Earl attributes it’s title to the book of Daniel in the bible. He says, “Feet of clay is a collection of observations and feelings recorded during the death throes of a crumbling empire.” FEET OF CLAY is a self-produced project that features Haiti’s Mach-Hommy and emerging phenom Mavi with additional production from Alchemist and Ovrkast. The EP comes as a follow-up to Some Rap Songs which was one of the best albums of 2018 (according to critics). With songs like “MTOMB,” “EAST,” and “EL TORO COMBO MEAL” on the project, Earl succeeds in making a follow up project that is just as unforgettable as its predecessor.
Earl is the virtuosic byproduct of Los Angeles’ fertile ground where hip hop sowed its seeds and historic cultural movements were born. The prodigiously gifted writer, lyricist and producer grew from a zeitgeist of which contemporary collectives in hip hop today are predicated. And while most movements are fleeting as soon as they arrive, Earl pushed forward, documented his growth and self-discovery on record and cemented himself as one of the foremost culturally relevant MC’s in the game.
