Odd Future of The Internet

We have spent lots of time discussing technology, especially the Internet affect society. But one thing we have partially overlooked in our class and readings is how the Internet has opened up people’s ability to affect society. Internet applications such as Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and music blogs such as HypeTrak, 2DopeBoys and The HypeMachine have begun to challenge how people are introduced to new media and have introduced to society a new era where individuals have the power to show the world something unique unadulterated by large traditional media corporations. Not only have we seen this develop in an entertainment realm but also in a political realm. I would like to discuss two figures

 I would like to in this blog talk about something I have seen progress on the Internet over the course of this quarter. I have seen over the course of this quarter an individual emerge via the internet and challenge traditional notions of how artistry is performed and developed. This individual is actually just a 19 year old kid named Tyler The Creator of OFWGTKTA or just Odd Future for short. Tyler The Creator, who also goes my Ace the Creator, Wolf Haley or just simply The Creator, first and foremost is by far one of the most multi-talented, hilarious and disturbed people of the digital age. He is the headman of the rap group Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, a crew of 12 Los Angeles teenagers ranging from the 16-year-old Taco Bennett to the 20-year-old Hodgy Beats. But Tyler is much more than just a rapper. He is a producer, director of all music videos, which of the several he has made two went platinum on YouTube just last week, twitter extraordinaire, moderator and creator of the bands website and publisher of all the groups CDs and Mixtapes. Tyler has utilized all of his talents to create a beautiful collaboration. The group has self produced all of their music, videos and publications and with their own blend of humor, talents and unique charisma transforming themselves from a bunch of stoners with a keyboard and a video camera into an Internet sensation and dominant force in today’s world. They are unlike anything before them and will undoubtedly be imitated but never duplicated. It is indescribable how fast they have captured the hearts of people worldwide, and it would be impossible if it were not for online element they employed. The OddFuture.com Tumblr page is unique and different from anything else I have ever seen. I remember beginning to follow the group because I was so amazed and baffled yet entranced by their behavior, humor and ridiculous style of rapping. The Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube channels of all of the members allowed them to promote and display the baffling content without needing a record deal, allowing them to accumulate fans slowly but surely in a compounding manner for months. Slowly but surely they gained hype all across the Internet creating buzz with everything they did. Because of the Tumblr and Twitter they were able to shamelessly promote themselves while still staying true to their unique style, maintaining the elements of their essence that is so appealing. Here Tyler shows the baffling humor and musical stylings of the group with the music video for the song French. Then Tyler goes off on the now infamous Yonkers video. Warning: Highly Offensive and Explict Content!

All the while they slowly built up a fan group willing to pay $5 to see them play live shows, allowing them to continue on without a record deal, published on their Tumbr and Twitters to hungry fans who ate up every bit of content they could get their hands on. It used to be and to some extend still is, when I logged onto the Internet I would go straight to Facebook, then OddFuture.com, then Twitter, then finally Google.  OFWGKTA’s internet campaign enabled them to self-publish their own content, which allowed them produce content exactly how they desired an in their own unique style. This is essential to their success, for as a long time fan I would instantly stop listening, following, watching if I thought traditional media edited or influenced the content. The beauty of Odd Future lies in the unique ridiculousness that intertwines with music talent. Now after an appearance on Jimmy Fallon, a couple Kanye tweets, and a slot at this years Coachella music festival have to be the world’s largest unsigned rap group. Their success is uplifting but their influence is what is really important. They have shown millions of kids the power of internet promotion and have changed their perspective on life and the world, creating a new generation of kids yelling Wolf Gang Kill Them All challenging societal notions much in the manner that Punk music did. Because of the Internet, Tyler and his motley crew of street wear toting fat blunt smoking renegades voices are heard worldwide influencing and affecting the way young adults think and act. And that is the beauty of the Internet.