Odd Future Reunited at Earl Sweatshirt’s 10th Anniversary ‘Doris’ Show

Alumni of Odd Future—the paradigm-shifting LA collective that took the entertainment industry by storm in 2011—continue to dominate the music industry, like the hip-hop equivalent of the Dazed and Confused cast going on to run Hollywood, but at this stage, we rarely see the original members together. Most of that seems to be less about bad blood and more about busy schedules and creative growth, but it’s still a thrill when the whole gang, or at least most of them, gets together in the present day, and we got to see one such reunion over the past weekend.

On Saturday, Earl Sweatshirt performed a 10th anniversary show for his acclaimed debut album Doris, and used the set as an opportunity to get much of the Odd Future crew together en masse for the first time in years. The assembled members included Earl, Tyler, the Creator, Syd, Casey Veggies, Jasper Dolphin, and Lionel “L-Boy” Boyce. (Frank Ocean was conspicuously, but perhaps inevitably, absent.) Tyler performed he and Earl’s Doris collaboration “Whoa” while fellow Odd Future MC Domo Genesis came out to rap “Wave Caps” with Earl.

Odd Future burst onto the scene with an abrasive style and fearless creativity that contrasted much of mainstream hip-hop in the early ‘10s. By the mid-point of that decade they’d begin to splinter and follow different creative paths; fans have been clamoring for a potential reunion for eons. The last big link was back in 2018, when an impromptu Odd Future reunion happened at the final installment of L.A.’s Low End Theory party series, where Tyler brought Earl, Syd, and Hodgy Beats to perform with him. In 2020, on the subject of a reunion Tyler told a London audience, “Nine times out of seven, no. I would be open to it, but I think everyone is kinda past that. I think some people base it on nostalgia rather than like, ‘Would it actually be good?’ Like, we don’t always need a Bad Boys 5.” He also stressed that the members of Odd Future have grown musically since their early days working together, and that their individual creative visions may not gel as well. (He also said, frankly, “The OF tapes weren’t that good.”) Tyler does continue to work with many of his old running mates, featuring Domo and an uncredited Frank on his most recent release, 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost.

Since disbanding, Tyler has won Grammys and topped charts, Earl has become a critical darling, and Syd has become one of the most compelling artists in the world of progressive R&B. But some of the most interesting developments from Odd Future have been in other lanes of the entertainment world. Boyce plays a key supporting role in Hulu’s hit dramedy The Bear as pastry chef Marcus Brooks, while Jasper joined the Jackass crew and, along with his father, was part of several riotous moments in 2022’s Jackass Forever. Taco, working under his real name Travis Bennett, is a rising actor, too, with successful turns in Dave, You People, and a role in music video director Jack Begert’s feature debut Little Death.

Earl is performing a New York Doris anniversary show on August 23, so perhaps we’ll get another makeshift reunion of the seminal collective.