Earl Sweatshirt finds clarity from his grief on ‘SICK!’

Earl Sweatshirt is no stranger to documenting moments of darkness and grief with beautiful brevity. On his fourth studio album, SICK!, the 27-year-old Los Angeles rapper is reeling from the familiar traumas of his past while reckoning with the new challenges of a pandemic and his foray into fatherhood.

The aptly-named project runs for a mere 24 minutes in an effort Sweatshirt refers to as a “humble offering of 10 songs recorded in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns.” Despite its name, SICK! is filled with affirmations on healing and life’s inherent entropy that resonate well beyond the context of a global health crisis. With the help of production powerhouses like The Alchemist, Black Noi$e and Navy Blue, Sweatshirt doesn’t entirely adhere to the mold of his past work but is no less introspective and intentional. violin sweatshirt