Its lyrics are abrasive. Its antics offend almost everyone. It is Los Angeles-based rap collective OFWGKTA, and it’s back in Tempe.
Short for Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, OFWKGTA is spearheaded by its fearless leader, Tyler, the Creator. The most talented and socially influential member of the West coast crew helped to bolster Odd Future's success in 2010 with the popularity of its single, “Yonkers.”
Since then, teenagers and college students alike have taken to the group with a cult-like adoration. This was especially true during Odd Future's brief, yet turbulent stop in Tempe on Friday.
Though their motives and attitudes are questionable, Tyler and the gang continue to push the limits of how to reach their followers.
During its current tour, the group opens a pop-up shop at each stop, featuring limited edition OFWGKTA apparel and accessories. Hundreds of fans flocked to the Tempe shop, located at Cowtown Skateboards on University Drive, to catch an up-close glimpse of the rappers, as well as purchase goods. The shop will remain open all week.
In addition to their foray into retail, the rap collective also is making a name for itself in television. Their upcoming sitcom “Loiter Squad” will debut on Adult Swim on March 25. It features the group performing sketches and stunts, as well as clips from their past and current tour.
Promoting their upcoming album “OF Tape Vol. 2,” due out March 20, the group filled The Marquee Theatre in Tempe with a crowd of mainly high school and college-aged fans. Though the concert was scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start, the festivities did not begin until 8:30.
After stopping in Tempe for the last leg of their fall tour last November, the group made ASU its first stop on their current spring tour. The birthday of rapper Domo Genesis, a former Sun Devil, also created a buzz around the beginning of the tour.
Before the show began, an eight-minute clip of “Loiter Squad” played, receiving mixed reviews from the crowd. However, due to the elongated wait, the audience became restless, forcing many fans over the barricades and out of the crowd. This theme of being sent to the back of the crowd by security guards maintained throughout the evening.
The crew opened with “64,” mirroring the beginning of their previous show in Tempe. Typical of Odd Future, their elevated energy and funny antics guided their performance. At times the crew made inside jokes to themselves onstage, but they also kept a strong interaction with their audience. Odd Future engaged the crowd through a constant flow of high-fives, free apparel and even the most essential need for a concert-attendee: water.
The crew also took time to pay homage to Earl Sweatshirt, the missing member of Odd Future. They played a few songs of his including “Drop,” much to the delight of the audience.
The audience, which again was mostly teenagers, was decked out in OFWGKTA apparel. They pushed and shoved and yelled all night, causing the mass exodus after the closing number “Radical” to be unusually slow and sluggish. A show like that of Odd Future’s relies on an active audience, and Friday night's crowd provided just that.
After Odd Future's last stop in Phoenix, their return did not bring much change. The same songs began and ended the show, and the same abrasive antics guided the group throughout the evening.
On a technical level, a lack of a sound check inhibited the show’s success. There was noticeable feedback during several songs, as well as too much bass on numerous tracks. Visually, the lack of front lighting detracted from the stage presence of the performers.
All in all, Odd Future's Tempe performance was, well, odd. Their similarities to ‘80s rap crew N.W.A show the group's ability to reach out to its counterculture fan base. But with N.W.A leader Ice Cube starring in family-friendly films such as “Are We There Yet?” is it time for Tyler and the rest of his “gang of wolves” to grow up?
That fact remains to be seen, but until then, expect the group to keep up its pranks until its audience matures and becomes disinterested.
Reach the reporter at mbobman@asu.edu
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