Since 2021, rappers Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist have teased the existence of a mysterious music album that has been hidden in plain sight for followers to uncover.
Sweatshirt, whose actual title is Thebe Kgositsile, is most recognized for working alongside Tyler, The Creator starting in 2009.
The Alchemist, whose actual title is Alan Maman, kicked off his rapping and DJ profession in 1991 (age 14) when he shaped The Whooliganz, a hip-hop duo with Scott Caan – finally making his method below the wing of DJ Mugg and finally changing into mainstream and serving as Eminem’s official DJ and in-house producer for Shady Data.
2 Years of Thriller…Lastly Revealed
When the rumors first began to flow into, a video posted to YouTube teasing this album below an nameless account appeared to have traces of Sweatshirt, however by no means formally talked about him by title. The video featured (a then) faux album title, tracklist, and canopy. Nonetheless, that album was by no means discovered, regardless of years value of efforts.
Till in the present day.
That mysterious album was revealed on August 24, entitled “VOIR DIRE,” by each Sweatshirt and The Alchemist.
Gala Music, a decentralized NFT-backed music streaming platform, tweeted that unique streaming entry to VOIR DIRE can be via its platform via an NFT.
The platform, a subsidiary of the hybrid Web3 leisure platform Gala, is greatest recognized for its involvement within the launch of ‘Mount Westmore’s Dangerous MFs’ final yr, in addition to its utilization of NFTs that afford Gala Music customers/followers unique album entry with restricted possession rights.
The enduring rap artists, recognized for his or her boundary-pushing method, have lastly embraced this digital format, albeit a bit belatedly contemplating the NFT hype’s earlier crest.
But it surely wasn’t that straightforward both, as followers had been required to unravel a variety of puzzles and riddles that had been embedded inside Gala Music’s web site with a purpose to achieve entry to the hidden album. With every solved puzzle/riddle, one other clue would emerge.
VOIR DIRE, which incorporates 11 tracks, additionally comes with 11,000 NFTs – 1,000 NFTs for every observe. The tracks inside ‘Voir Dire’ preserve the artists’ signature type, characterised by concise and dreamy compositions. New York rapper MIKE even makes a visitor look on one of many album’s songs, including an additional layer of intrigue.
The album’s tracklist contains a sequence of evocative titles that trace on the inventive course of ‘Voir Dire’:
“100 Excessive Road”
“Vin Skully”
“Sentry” (Feat. MIKE)
“All The Small Issues”
“My Brother, The Wind”
“27 Braids”
“Mac Deuce”
“Sirius Blac”
“Geb”
“Deadzone”
“Free The Ruler”
The camaraderie between MIKE, Sweatshirt, and The Alchemist is well-established, as MIKE has been featured on The Alchemist’s tasks lately. Their bond can also be evident of their collaboration on the album’s lead single, “Sentry,” a observe that exemplifies their synergy.
Clues Galore
All through Sweatshirt’s worldwide tour final week that celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his debut album “Doris,” clues as to the place this mysterious album had been unfold – from QR codes on tour merchandise that might additionally make them Gala Music’s web site and on posters all through downtown Los Angeles, to further cryptic messages from The Alchemist.
Clues even began surfacing in New York and Chicago as followers had been celebrating the 10-year anniversary of “Doris.”
A subreddit for Earl Sweatshirt was undoubtedly poppin’ with customers speculating on what was occurring from all completely different angles.
To many followers’ shock, the sense of warning and hesitation about this was comprehensible. One consumer even stated that “[they] didn’t need to get [their] hopes up.”
At the same time as followers had been eagerly awaiting this collaborative challenge’s launch, the revelation that ‘Voir Dire’ is accessible solely as an NFT could not align with everybody’s expectations, particularly given the wrestle the expertise has had with mass adoption.
With the album now out there on this distinct format, it stays to be seen how followers and the broader music group will reply to this inventive and technological convergence.