Wolf

One of the most highly anticipated albums of the year has finally arrived from another member of the irreverently insane Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. After Frank Ocean’s incredibly successful ChannelORANGE topped critics’ lists around the world last year, Mr. Creator must have felt the pressure this time out, but here he channels it into ballsy defiance.

In fact, it’s no surprise that the first three words heard on Wolf‘s title track are “Fuck… fuck you”. Once we’re past the spoken word opener, it’s straight into ‘Jamba’, which is gritty, deep-throated and raw, with Mr. Creator demanding “put my scrotum on the evening news.”

Despite this raucousness, the album mellows significantly towards the middle: production becomes grander and lyrics become poetry. “The sky’s falling girl / Let’s try to catch it tonight” from ‘IFHY’ is a particularly sweet moment. Mr. Creator’s collaboration with Pharrell is unsurprisingly laid-back and a tad sentimental, made all the more charming with phrases such as “I wanna strangle you til you stop breathing.”

It’s this dichotomy between poetry and badass that determines the tone of the album. That and the sheer effortlessness with which Mr. Creator seems to have taken these tracks, spontaneously rapped over them and added them nonchalantly to the record. Of course, the reality is the opposite; the production is outstanding, with layers of sound that expertly complement whatever tone the lyrics create.

Speaking of, these lyrics are also incredibly clever: the pop culture references on ‘Domo23’ could easily be attributed to a Nicki Minaj song, however, without her bubblegum attitude they come across as commentary rather than self-celebration. On ‘Campfire’, Mr. Creator takes us from making s’mores over an open fire to lynching in one breath; Frank Ocean’s guest turn on ‘Slater’ is sensual, melodic and self-aware; whereas ‘Tamale’ is a drumming voodoo chant. All eighteen songs are different, yet all maintain a consistent confidence and excellence.

The key difference between Wolf and other recent “new generation” rap/hip-hop is that such albums as good kid, M.A.A.D. city, Channel ORANGE and LONG LIVE A$AP are more accessible. They tap into electronic or dubstep trends and make music that’s catchy, sing-a-long and instantly gratifying. Mr. Creator, instead, makes music which sounds raw, beats that sound harder, and raps which are grittier. It took me one or two more listens to get into as a body of work, but once you do get it, it might just change your view of modern rap and R&B. Making an album such as this is an achievement in itself, not to mention the fact that it’s really, really good.