The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2

## Background And Recording

Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future, who were known for their frequent collaborations, have released mixtapes together in the past, such as *Radical* and the original *Odd Future Tape*. In January 2012, the group confirmed that they were to release their first commercially released album, titled *The OF Tape Vol. 2*. The album was to feature production and appearances by only Odd Future members, and would be promoted with a North American tour.

The album was quickly recorded in Los Angeles over the course of two weeks. In an interview with *The Guardian*, when asked about the expectations of the album, Tyler replied "I don't know. I have my doubts. Everybody's going on it and I just think, fuck, everybody might hate this shit. Everybody might go: 'What the fuck is this? We wanted this, we wanted that.' There we go. We made an album we wanted to make. If everybody hates it, OK. We have an album we like." The track "Forest Green" was released over a year before the release of the album, but was featured on the project with remastered production.

## Critical Reception

*The OF Tape Vol. 2* received mostly positive reviews from music critics. *Pitchfork*'s Jordan Sargent stated that the album was mostly a success because "every member steps up", with Domo who had "evolved from the group's bumbling stoner into a guy who can spit dizzying, complicated verses". Jody Rosen of *Rolling Stone* stated that the album contained a "fizzy energy that elevates it above its limitations", musing that Odd Future were a lot like "early Wu-Tang, a thrilling regional act, and a bunch of whip-smart black hipsters whose worldview is grounded in their corner of sun-baked southern California." PopMatters's Jeff Dunn felt that every member improved from their past mixtapes, stating that Ocean, Tyler, and Sweatshirt were all impressive, consistently "spitting dizzying, more original lines than they ever have on mixtapes past." Dunn wrote that "after the mixed returns of *Goblin*, Tyler himself now seems to realize that less is more on his part", who "wisely tones down the shock-for-shock's-sake rhymes quite a bit, making his appearances all the more rewarding when they do occur." Steve Labate of *Paste* mused that "while Odd Future's critics try hard to frame them as such, it's difficult to accept Tyler and the OF crew as mere shock artists, flippantly tossing off incendiary slurs for attention—the music is too tongue-in-cheek clever, too brainy and self-aware, too anything-goes eccentric."

The A.V. Club's Chris Martins praised the album, stating that "perhaps most impressive is that Tyler, the Creator takes a noticeable step back so that his friends can enjoy the spotlight. When he does show up—standouts include the hulking G-funk mutation "Hcapd" and the grungy, bass-addled "P”—both his beats and raps thrill: All of the twisted jokes, tough introspection, and rabble-rousing that fans have come to expect, with none of the unfortunate rape references his detractors rightly called him on." AllMusic's David Jeffries called album closer "Oldie" epic in nature, stating that Earl Sweatshirt's return was the highlight of the album, summarizing the album as "hype warranted." Beats Per Minute's Craig Jenkins compared the album extensively to prior Odd Future releases, reporting that "it ditches the expansive ooze that made stretches of Tyler's *Goblin* a chore, the nihilistic agitprop of MellowHype's *BlackenedWhite*, and the lackadaisical drugginess of Mike G's Ali and Domo's *Rolling Papers* in favor of the kind of restless, jerky energy that skyrocketed *Bastard* into the dialogue months prior." He described the album as something that "mainly sounds like a bunch of dudes in a dank basement cooking up the wildest smack talk possible, with one-upping each other being the primary objective."

Jeff Reiss of *Spin* gave the album a mixed review, commenting that "it's Odd Future at their best, blending eccentricity, rebellion, and weird humor, with the fearlessness of kids convinced that there are no consequences to their actions", though noted that "at their worst, they are guilty of every adolescent's biggest fear - being boring." Ray Rhamen, writer for Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review, reporting that "robbed of their outsider status, the boys swap horror for hormones on The OF Tape, Vol 2., giddily trading tall tales and witty obscenities. For better or worse, OF might actually be growing up." musicOMH's Andy Baber viewed the album as "an eclectic and solid - if unspectacular - return, which should see their already dedicated fanbase increase", commenting that "Frank Ocean is criminally underused". Mike Madden of Consequence of Sound felt that "too many things happen here, from the Brick Squad-type rave-ups to Ocean's R&B laments, for it to ever sound like a truly unified, full-length group project."

In 2019, *Pitchfork* placed album closer "Oldie" at number 160 on their list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s."