Earl Sweatshirt was under the media's magnifying glass before he could get a driver's license. His gifts were immediately apparent—the songs and mischief Earl cooked up with Odd Future were iconic, and continued immediately upon his return from involuntary exile in Samoa.
His creative output, meanwhile, has been sporadic and increasingly impressive. He's the best part of Loiter Squad, the Odd Future sketch show on Adult Swim, and proves himself as one of music's most talented and insular rappers every time he puts out an album (see: Doris and I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside).
But Earl has learned how to keep that magnifying glass at a safe distance, and his work has become more refined amid recalcitrance. Whatever's next, it'll be on Earl's terms. Here are 14 videos (not including music videos) that every Earl Sweatshirt fan should watch.
Earl Sweatshirt with Microphone Check
![This interview came at a precipitous time in Earl's career. He was doing press soon after the release of I Don't Like Shit, which he regarded as his first real album. "I've never been this transparent with myself or with music. I've never been behind myself this much," he told Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
But the album rollout hadn't gone as planned. “We just had a disconnect with the rollout of everything,” he said, and the resulting drama was "exactly what [Earl] was trying to avoid. So we back in the hype thing."
Luckily, the interview doesn't dwell on the discontent. It turns into a quiet, patient conversation—no one talks over each other, which is jarring at first. But the result is one of Earl's most open and honest interviews, covering everything from BTS nuggets about the album's making to the importance of snapping.](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tV_UQIs3er8/mqdefault.jpg)
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This interview came at a precipitous time in Earl's career. He was doing press soon after the release of I Don't Like Shit, which he regarded as his first real album. "I've never been this transparent with myself or with music. I've never been behind myself this much," he told Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
But the album rollout hadn't gone as planned. “We just had a disconnect with the rollout of everything,” he said, and the resulting drama was "exactly what [Earl] was trying to avoid. So we back in the hype thing."
Luckily, the interview doesn't dwell on the discontent. It turns into a quiet, patient conversation—no one talks over each other, which is jarring at first. But the result is one of Earl's most open and honest interviews, covering everything from BTS nuggets about the album's making to the importance of snapping.
Beyond Scared Straight on Loiter Squad
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In one of Loiter Squad's most memorable skits, Earl Sweatshirt is the star of the show. This scene parodies the show of the same title, and Earl plays an inmate terrorizing the new arrivals, including Tyler, The Creator. No one can keep a straight face by the end of Earl's monologue, but the man himself doesn't break. Honorable mentions go to Earl's speech at Carl's wake and Wacky Chef.
Earl Sweatshirt: At Home With
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Earl has always kept his cards close to the chest, which makes this interview in and around Earl's living space all the more valuable. In this At Home With series, a shirtless Earl shows us where he sleeps, eats, and makes music. He gives a grand tour, stopping to present his friends, his makeshift closet, and his book and CD collections. His apartment is in the middle of what he refers to as "nasty" Hollywood—luckily, he has those exfoliating gloves to wash off the grime.
Tyler, The Creator Interviews Earl
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We're not exactly sure what's going on in this one. In this throwback home video released in 2010, Tyler "interviews" Earl with a bunch of incoherent, meandering questions that don't really refer to anything. It's an experimental, avant-garde approach that shows what interviews might feel like from Tyler and Earl's perspective. They leave it up to the audience to interpret what exactly "it" is, all while Keith Sweat's Make it Last Forever plays in the background. Art.
Earl's Version of a Track by Track
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It seems Earl Sweatshirt only does interviews and promo on his own terms. In this promotional video released around Doris, Earl decides to do a track by track for his album...until he doesn't. Ever the pitchman, Earl's larger message may be to just let his music speak for itself.
Earl & Syd vs. Nardwuar
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When Earl Sweatshirt and Syd stopped by Vancouver in 2014, a run-in with Nardwuar was inevitable. At this moment in time, Earl was touring Doris, and Syd was his DJ. It takes Nardwuar a while to crack Earl's shell, but he gets there through a combination that included Black Moth Super Rainbow, Roscoe's, and their MF DOOM fandom.
Earl Freestyle on Sway
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Many MCs use radio appearances as a proving ground for their lyrical dexterity, but Earl used his 2013 Sway in the Morning to teach us about anticipation. He waved off beat after beat before landing on the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” remix instrumental, which he claimed to have never heard before. “I made a promise that I would never rap seriously on the radio. I’m about to break it for you, Sway” he says, before peeling off an understated yet intricate verse about depression, drugs, and women that wound up appearing on Mac Miller’s Delusional Thomas album.
What's in Earl's Bag?
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Recent footage of Earl has become a rarity, so it was big news when he teamed up with Amoeba in 2016 for their web series What's In My Bag? Earl Sweatshirt and Samiyam went shopping at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, picking up a wide and unlikely range of DVDs and records. Earl picks out an array of "really shitty, fucking amazing horror movies" out the gate, and adds some Ethiopian music and gospel to his collection.
Earwolf Summer 2013
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In the summer of 2013, Earl and Tyler, The Creator did their EARLWOLF tour. In this mini-documentary the two are inseparable, whether they're skateboarding in the streets of Europe or making beats and rhymes on the tour bus. In this nostalgic behind the scenes, we see a glimpse of backstage life at festivals with a notable cameo from Kendrick Lamar. This clip ends with the Odd Future crew having dinner and eating steak with their shirts off.
Earl: The Early Days
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Back when the mystery of Earl's whereabouts dominated the conversation around Odd Future, Earl: The Early Days was an instant indication that Earl and Tyler had crazy chemistry. It's something like a proto-Loiter Squad sketch, with the duo wearing their Tim and Eric and Adult Swim influences on their sleeves. It's so goofy and quotable, despite (probably) being improvised on the spot. Hot ass beat clap.
Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples: Inside the Beat
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Over the years, Earl has proved himself as a rapper and a producer. Add Vince Staples and Syd to the mix and you've got yourself an unforgettable trio. In this Inside the Beat episode Earl and Vince join forces and to work on beats, compare their raps, and grab casual cameos from Mac Miller. Earl is especially eloquent when discussing what makes Vince Staples great near the video's close. At the end of the day, though, "it's always been fooling around," Earl says. "The best shit that I've ever made... is the shit that takes the least amount of time."
Earl's First Interview at Hot 97
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Straight out of his exile in Samoa, Earl Sweatshirt gives his first on-air interview accompanied by Tyler, The Creator. During the Hot 97 interview with Peter Rosenberg, Earl discusses what it's like being back, and how things have changed for him. This interview shows Earl on the cusp of the wild success that was to follow: confident, skeptical, and having fun with it.
Earl New Yorker Interview
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"In ten years I don't want to be rapping," Earl says in this 2013 New Yorker profile. His reasons why are valid—people are getting stupider, attention spans are getting smaller, and "people who are the best at something are sick people." He also gets into his Gil Scott-Heron fandom, his distaste for politics, and how we're all fucked. "Everything is in a very dismal state...there's no hope," he says. "You just gotta do your thing while you're alive." It's an interview from a man sick of doing interviews, and who's not afraid to show it.
Over/Under With Earl
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Earl in Samoa
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Back in 2011, the world was searching for Earl Sweatshirt. It eventually found him at Samoa's Coral Reef Academy, a boarding school for troubled youths. After Earl returned home in 2012, video footage of his last days on the island hit YouTube. It's not the most revealing interview, and Earl looks uncomfortable in front of cameras after his time away from , but it's a beautiful part of the world, and this was undoubtedly a formative time in Earl's life. It's rare to actually see the waterslides and stunning views that made it happen.
Earl Talks "Doris" with Elliott Wilson
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In this episode of The Truth, Earl and Elliott Wilson meet up at A1 Records in NYC to talk Doris. While thumbing through OG New Edition Vinyls with a bit of laughable commentary, Earl talks about developing his sound, what it was like working with RZA and his shocking expectations when it comes to his own music.
