Earl Sweatshirt is an American rapper and record producer best known as a founding member of the influential hip hop collective Odd Future. Renowned for his introspective lyrics and experimental sound, he has become a significant figure in contemporary rap music.
Thebe Neruda Kgositsile was born on February 24, 1994, in Chicago, Illinois. He is the son of Cheryl Harris, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the late Keorapetse Kgositsile, a South African poet, journalist, and political activist. His parents separated when he was eight, and he subsequently grew up in Los Angeles, California.
Keorapetse Kgositsile passed away on January 3, 2018, at the age of 79. Earl Sweatshirt canceled a string of performances in order to attend his father’s funeral. Though often physically absent due to living in South Africa, Kgositsile's presence was felt in Sweatshirt’s music, where his influence and absence are recurring themes. Publications such as Pitchfork have described their relationship as complex.
While generally private about his personal life, Earl Sweatshirt has occasionally been linked romantically to individuals such as Kinda Salty, Mallory Llewellyn, and Solange Knowles. However, there are no confirmed high-profile relationships on public record, and much of the speculation around his dating life remains unverified.
Earl Sweatshirt began his music career in 2008 while in eighth grade, initially performing under the alias Sly Tendencies. He uploaded his early mixtape, Kitchen Cutlery, to Myspace and formed a short-lived music group called The Backpackerz with friends Loofy and JW Mijo. The trio had planned to release a collaborative project titled World Playground, but disbanded before it materialized.
In 2009, Tyler, the Creator discovered Sly Tendencies' music online and invited him to join the then-emerging hip hop collective Odd Future. Following this, he adopted the stage name Earl Sweatshirt and rapidly gained attention for his complex lyricism and dark, unconventional style.
On March 31, 2010, Earl Sweatshirt released his debut mixtape, Earl, as a free digital download on the Odd Future website. Primarily produced by Tyler, the Creator, the project drew widespread praise for its lyrical prowess and raw production. Complex later named it the 24th best album of 2010. By the end of 2011, he was considered a strong candidate for XXL’s 2012 Freshman Class, further cementing his status as a rising artist in the rap scene.
| Net Worth 2021: | 4 million |
