Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt performing in 2017
Born
Thebe Neruda Kgositsile

(1994-02-24) February 24, 1994 (age 30)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names
  • Sly Tendencies
  • randomblackdude
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active
  • 2008–2010
  • 2012–present
PartnerAida Osman (2022–present)
Parents
Musical career
OriginSanta Monica, California, U.S.
Genres
Discography
Labels
Formerly ofOdd Future
Websiteearlsweatshirt.com

Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (Tswana: [ˈtʰɛbe kχʰɔsiˈtsile], US: /xɔ-/) (born February 24, 1994), also known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, but changed his name when Tyler, the Creator invited him to join his alternative hip hop collective Odd Future in late 2009.

At the age of 16, he gained recognition and critical praise for his debut mixtape, Earl (2010). Shortly after its release, he was sent to a boarding school in Samoa for at-risk teens by his mother, which he attended for a year and a half. Unable to record during his stay, he returned to Los Angeles in February 2012 before his eighteenth birthday. Kgositsile rejoined Odd Future and adopted a recording contract with the group's parent label, Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, Doris (2013).[1][2]

The album peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200, while his second and third albums, I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015) and Some Rap Songs (2018), both peaked within the top 20; each received critical praise. He then signed with Warner Records to release his second EP, Feet of Clay (2019)[3] and fourth studio album, Sick! (2022). His fifth album, Voir Dire (2023), was a collaborative project with record producer the Alchemist.

  1. ^ Huynh, Davis (August 15, 2013). "Earl Sweatshirt - Doris (Album Stream)". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Coulston, John Connor (August 27, 2013). "Earl Sweatshirt flexes his lyrical muscle on debut album 'Doris' | Album Review". Sidelines. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ^ thebe (November 1, 2019). "FEET OF CLAY by Earl Sweatshirt". iTunes. Retrieved December 1, 2019.