Earl Sweatshirt – “Mirror”
LA spitfire and (former?) Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt released one of the best 40 rap albums of 2015 and has been active outside of the booth, turning a critical eye on Drake and debuting new songs at recent shows. A studio version of one of those songs, “Mirror,” has finally surfaced.
In a Pitchfork interview last year, Earl said “Mirror” was intended for last year’s I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside but was left off due to sample clearance:
What’s fucked, though, is that the tracklist got fucked up. There was a song that’s so crucial for the balance of the album called “Mirror” that was supposed to come right after “Faucet”; as far as the mom dynamic thing goes, the juxtaposition of “Mirror” against “Faucet” was so crucial, but the fucking sample didn’t get cleared. I’m gonna put it out, though.
Someone else leaked it before Earl could. But he delivers some of the intensely personal, dexterous, depression raps he is known for over a soulful sample-driven Samiyam beat, and it’s dope. The sound quality is terrible, and the track is only two and a half minutes, but it’s incredible how he packs so many tongue-twisting multis in such little space. Hopefully a cleaner version will come out, but for now, sift through the dirty, static-y mess for the gems below.
I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside is out now.