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 identified 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 fashioned 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 right now.
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 could be by way of its platform by the use of an NFT.
The platform, a subsidiary of the hybrid Web3 leisure platform Gala, is finest identified for its involvement within the launch of ‘Mount Westmore’s Dangerous MFs’ final 12 months, in addition to its utilization of NFTs that afford Gala Music customers/followers unique album entry with restricted possession rights.
The iconic rap artists, identified for his or her boundary-pushing strategy, have lastly embraced this digital format, albeit a bit belatedly contemplating the NFT hype’s earlier crest.
Nevertheless it wasn’t that easy both, as followers have been required to resolve numerous puzzles and riddles that have been embedded inside Gala Music’s web site so as to acquire 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 monitor. 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 encompasses a collection of evocative titles that trace on the creative course of ‘Voir Dire’:
- “100 High Street”
- “Vin Skully”
- “Sentry” (Feat. MIKE)
- “All The Small Things”
- “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 initiatives in recent times. Their bond can be evident of their collaboration on the album’s lead single, “Sentry,” a monitor 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 have been unfold – from QR codes on tour merchandise that may additionally cause them to Gala Music’s web site and on posters all through downtown Los Angeles, to extra cryptic messages from The Alchemist.
Clues even began surfacing in New York and Chicago as followers have 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 totally different angles.
To many followers’ shock, the sense of warning and hesitation about this was comprehensible. One person even mentioned that “[they] didn’t want to get [their] hopes up.”
Whilst followers have been eagerly awaiting this collaborative undertaking’s launch, the revelation that ‘Voir Dire’ is accessible solely as an NFT might not align with everybody’s expectations, particularly given the wrestle the know-how 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 neighborhood will reply to this creative and technological convergence.
