If you’ve been in underground rap fan circles, you may be incredibly excited to hear two of the most popular underground rappers and a burgeoning cloud rap production collective share spaces together on this album.
Some people may be confused by abstract rappers MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt taking a break from their usual sample-chopping, off-kilter brand of abstract rap in favor of a more traditional cloud rap production style courtesy of New York-based SURF GANG. However, MIKE was already experimenting with cloud rap on his “Pinball” series with Tony Seltzer, and Earl expressed a contentment with life with 2025’s “Live Laugh Love” after an intense stretch of albums grappling with depression.
As a result, MIKE’s “POMPEII” and Earl Sweatshirt’s “UTILITY,” released as a double album, offer breathing room from the rappers’ usual styles as well as a platform for SURF GANG to get their own space as a ground-up group.
‘POMPEII’: MIKE slightly underperforms but gets his message across
Something made evident when looking at the track list for “POMPEII // UTILITY” is that SURF GANG doesn’t dwell on developing their beats. This is a positive and negative aspect of the album.
The first track of MIKE’s part, “The Fall,” may be one of the most disappointing rap songs ever recorded because of that same philosophy. It has this epic, almost gothic feel with a melody that, instead of getting explored, fizzles out without any cathartic drop from the tension building up.
The next track, “MY WORST (rebuke),” is a much more flattering song. This has some of MIKE’s best rapping on the entire album and an ethereal vocal sample mixed with the warping melody. It has the spirit of MIKE’s music on his other albums, especially with his trademark abstract rhyme scheme.
It’s nice to see frequent collaborator and fellow abstract rapper Jadasea on “Da Bid.” His performance is familiar, yet a pleasant breath of fresh air for this record. Underground rappers Niontay and Na-Kel Smith (known for working with Earl in his old rap group, Odd Future) are also featured on other songs and give the album similar effects.
“AFRO” is the most classic MIKE of all the songs in production, flow and penmanship, and it happens to be one of the better songs on “POMPEII.” The punchy drums with the violin samples make for the perfect environment to demonstrate that MIKE still has his passionate rapping prowess.
“Minty” has the bar “Bro, you not a gangsta, take your talents off the LinkedIn,” which is one of the funniest bars MIKE has ever rapped along with “She like to mukbang with the Percs” on “Kirkland.” Amazing lyrics aside, the snare’s atmospheric reverb brings a surreal environment to the sound.
This feels like a low-stakes project for MIKE based on his performance both vocally and lyrically, but it’s a still cool and consistent one that deserves love.
Rating: 3.5/5
‘UTILITY’: Earl Sweatshirt doesn’t get lucky; he wins and completes side quests
“Before we start, let’s get one thing reestablished: it’s only up, up” is how Earl starts his half of the split with mumbling vocals similar to alternative trap artist Lucki. It speaks to his more optimistic outlook on life, especially when compared to something as depressive as 2018’s “Some Rap Songs” while also acknowledging pain. Another beautiful lyric that shows this emotional maturity is “Hand on my heart, it’s rough around the edges.”
“Hot Water (Cahuilla)” feels like SURF GANG sampled a melody from the surreal exploration-based game “Yume 2kki.” The abrasive but subtle 808s also work to create a disorienting beat that pairs well with Earl’s style. “I’m a horse in this rat race,” Earl raps, reflecting on his potential versus how he is perceived by others.
“Rectangle lens” sounds very aquatic production-wise. The most beautiful thing about this song, however, is how Earl reflects on his healing relationship with his mother near the end.
There’s nothing more ironic than a rap veteran like Earl Sweatshirt starting “Locust” with lyrics “Getting a little too old for this shit” on a cloud rap beat associated as a relatively youthful sound from the late 2000s. Perhaps as a poetic intention, younger rapper Lerado Khalil takes the second verse.
The final three songs of “UTILITY” are incredibly beautiful. “Book of Eli” starts with a synth lead that sort of sounds like “iceprincess” by experimental duo Hype Williams, encouraging introspection courtesy of Earl’s rapping. It sound like a direct relapsing of Earl’s depression. “AOK,” however, feels like a gradual but necessary start to emotional healing.
“Don’t Worry!” ends this trilogy simply but effectively: promising someone important to Earl that he’ll get his stuff together and better himself. The singing repetition of “Don’t worry” gives the song a healing property. Earl had thebetter album.
Rating: 4/5
Earl has come a long way from Odd Future. Adopting MIKE’s style of abstract hip-hop with his own lived experiences and poetic writing inspired a wave of music together. Seeing these two support each others’ endeavors sopublicly while also rapping on exciting beats with a young producer group known for cloud rap shows that appearances aren’t always everything: There are layers of complexity to discover.