Chum is a fitting track to round out World Mental Health Day, as Earl Sweatshirt delivers some very introspective bars, not afraid of discussing the pain of growing up fatherless (“And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest / When honestly I miss this n****, like when I was six”). Beyond the vulnerable, solemn lyrics, LA based Earl plates up a simple but mesmerizing beat with the help of Christian Rich, a production duo consisting of twin brothers Taiwo “Christian” Hassan and Kehinde “Rich” Hassan (RandomBlackDude is Earl’s producer alter-ego). As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sucker for repetitive beats, and this one definitely fits the bill. But there is more to it – touches like the pause before Earl launches into the second verse, and the outro riff by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes make this a song that’s easy to put on repeat.
Beats by Pari 