Imagine the craziest, loudest, most obnoxious, belligerent group of teenagers you can.
Now, imagine them joining together and forming a hip-hop group. Now, imagine one of them winning a Video Music Award.
After Tyler, The Creator won Best New Artist at the 2011 MTV VMAs, there was an uproar on social media sites.
Almost every status and tweet I read showed contempt for the Los Angeles hip-hop artist winning the award over Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean and others.
Not to mention "The Man" was crying in fear of these teens gaining more fans than the cult-type following they already had.
As for me, I was celebrating Tyler's accomplishment.
Tyler, The Creator and Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, a group he founded, are the future of hip-hop, like it or not.
The nine-member group of 16- to 20-year-old artists brings a new concept to the game that will be the new face of hip-hop.
In the 20-plus albums released, Odd Future doesn't rap about money, drugs or cars. Instead, the group decides to speak on rape, killing, blasphemy and rebellion--not to mention the constant disses toward Bruno Mars, 2DopeBoyz, Tyler Perry and, most notoriously, Steve Harvey.
Putting that aside, these kids have a vocabulary like none I've ever heard in a song. I have actually found myself on Google trying to figure out what some of their lyrics mean.
Aside from the vocals from Tyler, The Creator, Hodgy Beats, Mike G, Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, Odd Future also produces its own beats.
Producers Syd the Kid, Left Brain and Tyler literally produce every song on any Odd Future album.
For "Yonkers," the video Tyler won the VMA for, he actually wrote the lyrics, produced the track and directed the video. Who else has the talent to do that?
OFWGKTA also doesn't have to worry about breaking up. Within the main group, there are subgroups, including MellowHype (Hodgy Beats and Left Brain) and EarlWolf (Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt).
Before Tyler won Best New Artist, his career had already taken off.
In February, Nappy Roots' Questlove helped him get booked performing on The Jimmy Fallon Show performing "Sandwitches" with Hodgy Beats.
That night, and on a regular basis, Odd Future puts on a show that you won't get from many acts in the music industry. They're known for stage dives, an occasional riot and stage rushes.
Members have also appeared on television in the past several months. Domo Genesis and Mike G are featured throughout Addidas' "All Originals" commercial, and Tyler, The Creator and nonmusical member Taco were on the first episode of the second season of Comedy Central's "Workaholics."
While the closed-minded refuse to give Odd Future a chance, it appears everyone else has fallen in love. That's probably good, considering it doesn't appear the group is going away any time soon.
Ladies and gentlemen, the future of hip-hop looks ... odd. It's not too early to start chanting "Wolf Gang."
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