Earlier this month, Earl Sweatshirt released his fourth studio LP SICK!, which comes with 10 songs and assists from ZelooperZ and Armand Hammer. This week, the Cali emcee made a visit to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to perform the album’s lead single “2010,” a Black Noi$e-produced number that many signaled as an official return for Earl since 2020’s Feet of Clay (Deluxe):
“We got us a fire to rekindle, redirect the fight where it’s meant for, triumph over plight and immense loss, ride alone at night, I get clear thoughts, caught a couple slights and I veered off, saw another height, had my ears poppin’, walked outside, it was still gorgeous…”
Keeping things relatively simple, the short set saw Earl and a single collaborator on a dark stage as a large screen behind them plays the album’s promotional graphics, all of which is conceptually geared towards the still-active Coronavirus pandemic.
While SICK! can be considered critically acclaimed at this point, there is one detractor in particular — Joe Budden, who may or may not still have feelings about a past “Loiter Squad” episode some eight years ago. Nonetheless, the rapper-turned-podcaster made it clear that he’ll never press play on Earl’s new music:
“That’s my nigga too, man, but I ain’t listening to that shit (laughs). … Is Earl on Tyler’s last album? Is Earl on Tyler’s album before that album? How bout the one before that one? … But you want me to listen to it? [His man] won’t call him to come to the fuckin’ studio. Yo, when your man stop inviting you to the studio, you’re not getting me to listen to what you’re doing.”
Earl has since responded with a humorous tweet of his own:
its weird that bro didn't like my mood muzik LOL what happened twin?
— thebe kgositsile (@earlxsweat) January 26, 2022
Press play on Earl Sweatshirt‘s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” performance of “2010” below.