Whole World

‘Whole World’ is set to be the first of two tracks on the deluxe vinyl release of Earl Sweatshirt’s 2019 ‘Feet of Clay’. The track builds on EP’s themes of apocalypse, religion and decay, the title itself a reference to the Old Testament narrative of Daniel and the King of Babylon. The King describes a dream to Daniel - he has seen a statue with a head of gold and feet of clay. Daniel interprets that although the figure is outwardly strong and spectacular, its feet of clay betray an underlying weakness.

“I had to face what the man in the mirror says/ Grew complacent with the human that I was”, LA-based Maxo raps on the opening verse of ‘Whole World’. Introspection turns to self-loathing, Maxo sees the harmatia of heroes in his vision of himself.

“All the feelings I disguise, it's there when I bleed/Eyes to my feet, can't stand what I see”, Earl enters the track with cutthroat eloquence, his trademark lyrical prowess carried by The Alchemist’s understated yet decadent production.

In sound and atmosphere ‘Whole World’ bears more similarity to Sweatshirt’s earlier works, rather than some of the more avant-garde offerings on ‘Feet of Clay’ - see the now infamous, ‘East’. But it’s not a step backwards by any means. The track is tight, a consolidation of the rapper’s ever-increasing maturity and ambition. We hear Earl in his melancholy element, resonating with feelings of growing collective unrest and unease in the world outside.