Odd or Even? Doesn't matter, they're still the future

Owen KneelandStaff WriterIn an era of political correctness, they are the ugly duckling. They have mothers across the nation tearing their hair out, have record company CEO's shaking in their dress shoes, and are sure as hell not getting an endorsement from Oprah any time soon. They are Odd Future.OFWGKTA (short for Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) is the LA rap collective that has the hip-hop world in a frenzy. Though they have been releasing tracks since 2008, only recently have they enjoyed success, as their fame has spread virally through the veins of the Internet. Their YouTube channel has over 4 million views, and they recently made their TV debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Their official blog has all of their rappers' and producers' mix-tapes available free for download.Their marketing strategy is not focused on profit, but rather highlights their most valuable asset: their attitude. Odd Future exists independent of their music. They are a movement. Odd Future is about being yourself and giving the finger to convention, and it is this mentality which has brought them their success. In a stale industry, listeners are flocking to Odd Future, hungrily trying to inhale a breath of fresh air.Odd Future only requests one thing of you: that you approach their music with no preconceptions. It is too easy to call Odd Future immature - their profanity laced, explicit lyrics make them prone to criticism about using violence for violence's sake. Tyler the Creator, the head honcho of Odd Future, usually responds in packages of four letters. In the introduction to the track "Sandwiches," Tyler states it best: "[People] had the nerve to call me immature. What the fuck you think I made Odd Future for, to wear fucking suits and make good decisions? Fuck that. Wolf Gang."But they artistically blur the line between immaturity and creativity. They are a group of kids: Tyler is 19, and the rest of the group ranges from 17 to early 20s. By definition they are immature. Odd Future is about reveling in this immaturity, and harnessing it to empower their wild imaginations.Nothing is off limits to Odd Future: rape, death, and assaults on comedian Steve Harvey all make regular appearances in their lyrics. Their beats are minimalist, verging on cacophony, forsaking complexity to emphasize the purity of the tracks' emotions. Not bound to any laws of form or structure, Odd Future's music conjures a swirling chaos of images.They are bitter about the current state of rap, and make no attempts to hide it. While most rappers hide behind figurative language, Odd Future mercilessly launches death threats directed at mainstream artists like B.o.B. and Bruno Mars. Not only are their lyrics and beats diametrically opposed to those of the mainstream, their shows are radically different as well."We're so opposite" said Tyler on MTV's Rap Fix, "If you go to any other rapper's shows they just stand there and rap - there's no emotion."Added rapper Domo Genesis, "Even though we have rap music, [our shows] are not rap shows at all."Their live performances are a testament to the vitality infused in their music. Fans form mosh pits, lyrics assume the form of frenzied war chants, and Odd Future members regularly leap off the stage. On their Jimmy Fallon debut, they shocked the hosts by wearing ski masks and smashing lawn ornaments.Both recorded and on stage, this energy has drawn attention to the Odd Future movement. On the same MTV interview, Tyler summed up their philosophy best:"People say you could be anything you want, do anything you want ... That's why when I say I'm a fucking unicorn, people are fucking confused. I'm a fucking unicorn. And you're not gonna tell me that I'm fuckin' not ... As long as you believe that that's what you are, you're good."Odd Future may be whatever they want to be, but right now, they are what rap needs them to be.okneeland@thesamohi.com