In the midst of Drakeo the Ruler’s ongoing legal issues with the District Attorney’s office of Los Angeles, music continues to make its way to fans. Although Drakeo is still locked up and is awaiting a hopeful release date, he’s receiving more and more support from fellow artists in order to bring awareness to his imprisonment. Earl Sweatshirt, one of my personal favorite artists, is no stranger to the underground rap scene, showing support to artists who are on the come up or don’t necessarily have a worldwide following as he does. He sees the artistry within people rather than looking at their basic offerings and has proclaimed his enjoyment of many different up and comers throughout the years.
Although the original “Ion Rap Beef” released a couple of years ago featuring assistance from the prolific 03 Greedo, Earl decided to jump on this track and breathe fresh air into the song. Over digital sounding synths, West Coast percussion, and a wavy melody, Earl goes right into his verse. He begins with his beyond clear displeasure for with the District Attorney’s office, then continues on to go after music critics and even stunts about some of the expensive items he owns which is somewhat new lyrical content from the usually introspective emcee. Throughout his verse, he has a filtered, almost closet studio sound on his vocals as if he recorded with a sock over the microphone which adds a homemade aesthetic that’s rough around the edges but endearing at the same time.
Beyond this, Earl bounces on the beat like he’s right at home although it’s an interesting flow from the typically off-kilter rapper. He clearly takes influence from Drakeo’s subdued delivery on this song as well. As a refresher of Drakeo’s verse, he talks heavily about things like cough syrup, committing acts so violent that Fox News is going to need to post a picture of him, and the money he has made from some not so legal activities. Greedo then has a scratchiness to his voice as he sings in his telltale overly-autotuned vocals, talking about more violent acts, money, and coming up, making it out of the streets.
It’s always so intriguing hearing Earl hop on a beat that he normally wouldn’t place himself on. I had no doubt in my mind that he would body the verse regardless, as he did, but hearing him on a predominantly West Coast beat and replicating a flow that suits the instrumental perfectly was truly a spectacle. I hope to hear more experimentation like this from the California rapper and knowing him and his artistry, new sounds and tests are exactly what we can most likely expect. Whether you were a fan of the original track or are just hearing it now for the first time, check out the remix for “Ion Rap Beef” by Drakeo the Ruler featuring 03 Greedo and Earl Sweatshirt.