Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt performing in 2017
Born	Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (1994-02-24) February 24, 1994 (age 30) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Sly Tendencies randomblackdude
Occupations	Rapper record producer singer songwriter actor
Years active	2008–2010 2012–present
Partner	Aida Osman (2022–present)
Parents	Keorapetse Kgositsile (father) Cheryl Harris (mother)
Musical career
Origin	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres	West Coast hip hop alternative hip hop abstract hip hop horrorcore (early)
Discography	Recording production
Labels	Tan Cressida Warner Columbia (former)
Formerly of	Odd Future
Musical artist
Website	earlsweatshirt.com

Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (Tswana: [ˈtʰɛbe kχʰɔsiˈtsile], US: /xɔ-/) (born February 24, 1994), also known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, but changed his name when Tyler, the Creator invited him to join his alternative hip hop collective Odd Future in late 2009.

At the age of 16, he gained recognition and critical praise for his debut mixtape, Earl (2010). Shortly after its release, he was sent to a boarding school in Samoa for at-risk teens by his mother, which he attended for a year and a half. Unable to record during his stay, he returned to Los Angeles in February 2012 before his eighteenth birthday. Kgositsile rejoined Odd Future and adopted a recording contract with the group's parent label, Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, Doris (2013).^[1][2]

The album peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200, while his second and third albums, I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015) and Some Rap Songs (2018), both peaked within the top 20; each received critical praise. He then signed with Warner Records to release his second EP, Feet of Clay (2019)^[3] and fourth studio album, Sick! (2022). His fifth album, Voir Dire (2023), was a collaborative project with record producer the Alchemist.