Earl sweatshirt & the alchemist - voir dire review
After years of yearning from fans, and countless hours of internet scouring in search of a hidden album, Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist finally joined forces this year to drop their first full-length collab album, VOIR DIRE. But now that the dust has settled and the album has been digested, was it worth the wait? Did it live up to the massive expectations set upon it by fans? In the end, like all things, it comes down to preference. But to this humble fan, it is one of the best hip-hop albums of 2023.
(There are 2 versions, one for streaming and one pre-release on Gala Music with a 3-track difference, but for this dissection, I will be looking at all tracks released during the project’s rollout.)
VOIR DIRE is French for “to tell the truth.” Used in legal proceedings as a major component of jury selection, it tests the competence and truthfulness of potential jurors. I think this core idea, along with the artwork and even runtime, is essential and carefully woven into the album’s overall concept. With all tracks included, the project runtime is just about 33 minutes in length. The cover plays into the theme of court, featuring the grim reaper at a judge’s bench, ultimately passing judgment, and slamming a gavel. I believe the album is intended as a concise presentation of truthfulness from Earl at this point in his life. Telling his truth, actions, opinions, and experiences in the face of death, regardless of the judgment passed on him by death, god, and even us.
To me, this project is a landmark for a very poignant part of his discography. Earl’s career so far can be broken up into 3 distinct stages. You have the introductory stage when Odd Future first burst onto the scene, starting with Earl himself being only 16 and ending with the release of the incredible DORIS. Here we find a young kid trying to find himself, his style and sound, with some of the most abrasive and violent lyrics one can find, now put in the spotlight after a hiatus in Samoa. The second stage shows us a more reflective and prolific writer taking big artistic gambles. At the same time, however, we find Earl trying to adjust to said spotlight. The music is depressive painting someone dealing with dark thoughts, loneliness, and addiction. This starts with I DON’T LIKE SHIT I DON’T GO OUTSIDE, followed by the phenomenal SOME RAP SONGS, culminating in the divisive and experimental FEET OF CLAY. The third stage is where we currently find ourselves, beginning with the release of the 2022 album SICK!.
This is not the same Earl some may be accustomed to, which is why I believe this album, along with SICK! is so decisive among some fans. This is an artist who has seemingly pulled himself out of the abyss, achieving a new sense of gratitude, self-preservation, and personal hope. You can first find this creeping in on tracks like the criminally underrated Alchemist track, Nobles featuring the poetic and prolific Navy Blue. This album is the perfect representation of this newfound sense of self that Sweatshirt has discovered in himself. VOIR DIRE is laden with lyrics of continuing and moving past a lifestyle of being stagnant and wallowing in your depression and hopelessness. An artist who has walked the path of depression and come out the other side a mentally healthier person, but also as a father.
“Cherish every moment, let it go. The cherry on top the weight offa my heavy soul. Never been lost, I remember ‘Nowhere2go,’” Earl raps on All the Small Things. On the same track, he says “Roll with the punches, keep 'em comin', I'm prepared. I'ma parry somethin', variables made me bend. But I never fumble, carryin' it like a man. Even when I buckled under egregious demands.” This is not the Earl many of listeners have become accustomed to. This newfound mentality adds to these streams of consciousness the poet/rapper has released recently.
Earl seems to have found the perfect use of his sometimes monotone or laidback voice on this project resulting in slicker delivery with his already top-tier schemes and bars. Tracks like Vin Skully, Mac Deuce, and 27 Braids are perfect examples of this new Earl sound. There is no lack of skill on display and the only features, Vince Staples and MIKE fit into this album’s puzzle perfectly. Vince steals the show on the track Caliphate with both artists putting on a masterful display as they seemingly try to outrap the other. When all is said and done, there are very few who can hold a pen to Vince and Earl.
Alchemist has a way of being the ultimate chameleon when it comes to these collab albums, but not in a way that makes him an afterthought hiding in the shadows. Whether it be Earl, Boldly James, or even Kendrick and Drake, he is the ultimate curator and one of the greatest producers that music has ever seen. This album does what it was intended, providing Earl a platform for what he wants to delve into, while Alchemist serves it up as only he can. Beats that do not ultimately steal the show, but not for a lack of trying or quality. In comparison to other albums, these beats bring a sonic sense of hopefulness and brightness in some aspects on tracks like Sirius Blac. It’s refreshing whenever Alchemist can step away from the same boom-bap beats he can expertly craft. Standout instrumentals for me are My Brother, The Wind, Mancala, All The Small Things, and the aforementioned Caliphate.
This album may not be what some expected, but that is why it is best to curb them as much as possible. This is an Earl that is much more enjoyable to listen to. One that does not weigh one down with the content they deliver. SOME RAP SONGS is incredible, and one of the most artistic and unrivaled albums of the 2010s. But it is not one to listen to every day. This however is on par with the new Earl we have been getting for a little over a year now, and it is personally one I look forward to hearing more from.
Rating: Somewhere between 8 and 20
Personal Favorite Tracks:
All the Small Things
Sirius Blac
Mancala ft. Vince Staples
Caliphate ft. Vince Staples
My Brother, The Wind