Bastard was great because it was honest. In the album's title track, Tyler carelessly admits he's vulnerable and pissed off about it. Sincerity like that is hard to find in a rap scene built by egos, but in any case, Tyler managed to accomplish this on his self produced debut. His lack of subtlety is hardly a reason to get excited though; instead, it's the shear amount of quality material being released by the Odd Future collective. Tyler remains the de facto leader, but his accomplices are just as noteworthy, proving that seniority hardly means anything to this up-and-coming group.
Let's be honest though, if Tyler hadn't taken the role of leader early on, these mixtapes wouldn't even exist. I mentioned Bastard earlier, but Earl Sweatshirt's Earl, Domo Genesis' Rolling Papers, and Mellowhype's BlackenedWhite are just as commendable and easy to get excited about. But whether or not they stack up against Bastard, Tyler's lyrical and straightforward approach is an influence that's all too noticeable. Simply put: Odd Future doesn't give a fuck, and Tyler will love to be the first person to point that out.
When "Yonkers" hit the internet back in February, Odd Future blew up and they blew up fast. I wasn't surprised; "Yonkers" is arguably the best song released by the collective as of yet. The immense beat matched by Tyler's superb word play was frightening and unbelievable. Tyler wasn't so much a kid but rather a demonic teenager hell-bent on conquering the widespread minds of the civilized world.
As the lead single, one would expect "Yonkers" to lead a variety of equally hard-hitting tracks, but if anything, Goblin shows a noticeable shift in Tyler's persona altogether. Take "Radicals", the way-longer-than-it-should-be teenage anthem. It begins with a 20 second advisory warning the listener to not attempt any of the crimes mentioned in the song. I can understand this being a tongue-in-cheek jab at his generally white fanbase, but why is this really needed in a song that's already exceedingly lengthy? Moments contradicting Tyler's well known "I don't give a fuck" attitude are all over Goblin, almost to the point where it becomes a joke. "Goblin", essentially the sequel intro-track to last year's "Bastard", is a 6+ minute rant on frustrations of being well known and having to answer to hype. Compare this to "Bastard", which had enough emotional weight to crush even the biggest Odd Future skeptic, and you'll be mostly confused and bothered. We get it, Odd Future actually has to answer to a mainstream audience now, but is going on multiple rants defending your own work really worth the time? If anything, it shows a blaring insecurity that pales in comparison to Tyler's anger in "Bastard".
Contradictions aside, Goblin's most unfortunate issue is it's production value. Maybe it's because of my admittingly high expectations, but Goblin marks the first time in Odd Future's discography where I've actually noticed the poorly mixed beats and laughably ridiculous synthesizers. A professional engineer can go a long way, and Goblin is an ill-fated example of this. Among other things, overuse of reverb and uninspired loops pollute songs that just don't know when to end. Here's an idea, cut out most of the intros, get rid of all the effect-riddled phase-out endings, and delete all the verses from Tyler's clearly less-talented friends. Done right, and you got yourself a 40 minute album with a fair share of highlights.
Mind you, Goblin isn't a terrible album. When Tyler goes hard, he goes hard; "Yonkers", "Nightmare", and the Eminem-esque "Golden" are career highlights from the 19 year old Los Angeles native. These are the moments where Tyler goes back to his roots (ie: fucking sluts, slaughtering enemies, his separated family) and are hands-down the best and most satisfying. Lines like "Rape a pregnant bitch and tell my friends I had a threesome" are expected (but certainly welcome) but other lines like "Niggas saying 'Free Earl' without even known' him / See, they're missing the new album, I'm missing my only friend" show Tyler's raw emotion that seperates him from every other rapper trying to make it at his age.
Remarkably, however, Goblin is about the least confident Tyler has sounded as a whole. Instead of giving an unforgiving middle finger, cautionary warnings and excuses make a mess out of this lengthy sophomore release. It's a shame really, Tyler could have potentially floored his critics. Rather, he chose to reason with them. The limelight is brighter than ever Tyler - please stop caring.
2.5/5
Reccommended Tracks: "Yonkers", "Golden", "Nightmare"
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