Earl Sweatshirt and a Fake Frank Ocean Celebrate 10 Years of ‘Doris’ in Brooklyn

Earl Sweatshirt shook Brooklyn to its foundations.

On Wednesday, August 23rd, Earl took his four-legDoris Anniversary tour to Brooklyn Steel.

After an opening set from Black Noi$e — which included songs from a wide spectrum of rap legends, from MF DOOM to Rico Nasty to Z Money — Earl came out. He opened the show with the introductory piano chords of “523” playing in the background. Reflecting on the decade that has passed since his debut dropped, Earl stated in a confident tone: “We still alive ... it’s been 10 years.”

The all too anxious crowd, which had been properly primed and ready for the rapper, silenced shortly while the familiar “523” chords continued. That was followed quickly by a venue-wide uproar as the LA-based MC stepped onto stage and made his presence known before jumping into the first track of the album, “Pre.”

Photo by Kaushik Kalidindi for Okayplayer.

Throughout the show Sweatshirt kept the crowd’s hype at a teetering balance, coming to a head when playing some of his classics, such as “Burgundy” and “Chum.” Over the weekend, fans lost it at Earl’s LA leg of the tour when the rapper linked up with fellow OF fam Tyler, the Creator, Mike G, Domo Genesis, Vince Staples, Casey Veggies, Syd the Kid, and more for a hometown show. This reunion was topped off with a guest appearance from Tyler, the Creator who performed his verse on “Whoa.”

Other than a fake Frank Ocean appearance that would have made DOOM proud, there was no surprise appearance from fellow OF members at his Brooklyn show. But Earl pleasantly surprised the crowd with guest appearances from MIKE and long-time compatriot and fellow rapper Navy Blue, otherwise known as Sage Elsesser. A short, blistering and welcomed performance from both rappers was capped off with a short speech from Navy Blue in which he beckoned the audience to recognize the greatness of the illustrious MC stating “We shouldn’t take [Earl] for granted.. There is not that many great rappers, but he is one of them.”

Photo by Kaushik Kalidindi for Okayplayer.

After siphoning through songs from Doris, Earl jumped straight into contemporary tracks, such as “2010” from his most recent album Sick! and his most recent single “Making the Band (Danity Kane)” both creating high-energy mosh pits that populated the Brooklyn venue. Earl has not lost his edge or his hunger as the unique and vibrant aura of the MC filled the entire building during his performance.

Those keeping up with the rapper will have seen that the Doris Anniversary tour will end in London where he will debut his newest collab project, with The Alchemist, titledVoire Dire (literally meaning to tell the truth). Many have speculated that this may be the “secret” album that Alchemist and Earl have worked on previously, placed under a fake name and YouTube page that fans have been searching for on the internet for almost two years now.

Photo by Kaushik Kalidindi for Okayplayer.

The two have been amazing creative partners in the past, with Earl hopping on songs like “Nobles,”“Loose Change,” and “E. Coli” — all individual tracks from previous projects graciously given to fans by The Alchemist. If the duo's past work is any indication of the quality of Voire Dire, we are in for a treat of excellent beat selection, production, and rhyme schemes we have become familiar with from each respective artist in their individual and collaborative works.

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Michael Nunn is a third-year law student at Brooklyn Law School focused on practicing in Entertainment Law (Music and Film) upon graduation.