EARL SWEATSHIRT

Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, born February 24, 1994, is an American rapper and record producer known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt. He initially performed under the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008. In late 2009, he changed his stage name after being invited by Tyler, the Creator to join the collective Odd Future. He is the son of South African political poet Keorapetse Kgositsile. At age 16, he gained recognition for his second mixtape, Earl, released in 2010. Following its release, he was sent to a boarding school in Samoa for at-risk teens, where he attended for approximately a year and a half. During this period, he was unable to record music. He returned to Los Angeles in February 2012 before turning 18 and rejoined Odd Future. Kgositsile signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, the group's parent label, and released his debut studio album, Doris, in 2013. The album reached the top five of the Billboard 200 chart. His subsequent albums, I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015) and Some Rap Songs (2018), both charted within the top 20 and received critical praise.