
His being out of sight made him a cult figure messages of “FREE EARL” arose across the internet, which only heightened the pressure on him to be special.

In 2010, right as Odd Future became popular, his mother learned of his music and drug use and shipped him to a boarding school in Samoa. Featuring would-be superstars Frank Ocean, Syd and Tyler, The Creator, Earl stood out largely because he wasn’t around. Earl Sweatshirt first emerged with Odd Future, the Los Angeles-based rap crew with dark beats and irreverent humor that spoke to the souls of maladjusted teens.
