Earl Sweatshirt Drops "Sentry" With MIKE Off The Alchemist Collab Album: Watch

BYGabriel Bras Nevares7.9K Views
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If "Voir Dire" is anywhere close to this level of quality, we're in for a treat.

Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE just dropped off the Alchemist-produced track "Sentry," the first release off of the Odd Future affiliate and the legendary beatmaker's upcoming collaborative album Voir Dire. While it didn't officially hit streaming services or YouTube (and we have no official release date for the project), this new track and music video spread around the Internet and social media. With a release party scheduled for this Friday (August 25), there's good reason to believe that we're getting this highly anticipated collab soon. What's more is that it's great to see Earl and MIKE collaborate given how much they've inspired and drawn from each other's work.

Moreover, the track (like most of Uncle Al's production) is a dense, earthy, and haunting sample loop that perfectly fits the MCs' more laidback demeanor. It's also phrased and chopped in a very interesting way, as Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE take completely different approaches when it comes to flow. The former tackles it in regular 4/4 time, or at least sounds like it, whereas the latter employs a triplet flow, switching up how "Sentry" hits rhythmically. It may be a stark and minimal soundscape, but it heightens the abstract and personal lyrics at play. Furthermore, these three creatives make a lot out of a little, using unconventional and unique approaches to turn a chop and some bars into so much more.

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist's "Sentry" With MIKE: Watch The Music Video

Meanwhile, in the music video, they simply rap in an empty and coldly lit hallway, but don't seem disheartened by their circumstances. This often sums up their lyricism: despondent, reflective, and downtrodden; yet always resilient, vivid, and hungry. As he celebrates ten years since his first studio album Doris, Earl is still putting out high-caliber material with remarkable consistency and an emotive punch. If you haven't heard "Sentry" yet, find it with the link below or watch the video above. Also, stick around on HNHH for more on Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, The Alchemist, and Voir Dire.

Quotable Lyrics
Had a couple things on my chest,
That's where the demons would sit,
I took a seat at the head,
It's time to eat, I need to breach heavy set

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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