In 2008, a bunch of young LA rappers known as Odd Future, or OFWGKTA, released The Odd Future Tape, a low quality mixtape with vocals recorded on a webcam microphone. Four years later, they’re on a world tour and releasing The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2. Massive amounts of anticipation and hype surround this album. I’ve seen dozens of ads on YouTube, facebook, and other sites, just promoting this one album. So, the question is, does it do the job?

“NY (Ned Flander)” features group leader Tyler the Creator and fellow OF member Hodgy Beats. Unfortunately, apart from a few pretty solid rhymes from Tyler, this track was pretty disappointing.

“Ya Know” is the only song on the album by a subgroup of OF, The Internet. The Internet is comprised of producer Matt Martians, and the group’s only female member, Syd tha Kid. It’s a sort of funk and soul song, that is just plain out of place on this album. I enjoy the song a lot, it’s not a great fit for this album.

I was surprised when I saw that “Forest Green” was on the tracklist. This is a song that I first heard on a compilation of the songs of OF’s solo work called 12 Odd Future Songs. Mike G, probably the least productive rapper in the group, shows that he has chops, with a groovy song with an addictive hook: “People talkin’ down on me, I don’t really think they should / They say they could do it better, I don’t really think they could”. It’s a killer track, and I anticipate Mike’s next solo album.

“Analog 2” is, as the title might suggest, a sequel to “Analog” from Tyler’s solo album Goblin, from last year. It’s about the summer, hanging at the park, partying, and being young. It features vocals from OF’s resident R’n’B vocalist, Frank Ocean. Frank shows up here and there on Tyler’s albums, and last year, he appeared on Jay Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne. Frank is somewhat of track killer. If you’ve heard “She” from Goblin, you might know what I’m talking about. He always sings the chorus of the song he appears on, and it never works. However, on this track, he is supplemented by Syd, who actually balances out his vocals, and makes this song a little more listenable. It’s a strange, and I like it that way.

“Rella” was released as a video last month, and I actually stayed up for awhile waiting for the premiere. This song, is almost an instant classic. Hodgy’s flow is fantastic. His rhymes are solid. Domo Genesis’ verse also has a few good moments, but Tyler knocks it out of the park. Including me, I know about 4 people who know it by heart. His first line has such an impact, you know it’s gonna be good. One of the best songs on the album.

“Hcapd” has the probably the best beat of the whole album. If you listen to Odd Future, you know that their beats are lame and often awkward. On this track, it’s very classic hip hop, and perfect for their flows. Tyler’s verse is a combination of his actual voice, and his voice, pitched down. He does this sometimes, when he says things that really aren’t him, they’re a different personality inside him, but, for more of that deep, introspective, stuff, check out Tyler’s solo work. Anyway, this song is pretty good, and is probably Domo’s best verse on the entire album.

Now, everyone has been talking about “Oldie”. It’s the ten minute long posse track and It’s got solid verses from basically every member of the Gang. Tyler, Mike G, Jasper, and Earl’s stood out for me. Now, Earl Sweatshirt is often cited as the best rapper of Odd Future, and even people that don’t like them, seem to like Earl. He was 16 when he released “Earl” the album that lead to massive popularity for him. Now, as he gained popularity, his mother sent him off to boarding school in Samoa, and that’s why you might hear various members shout “Free Earl!” on any Odd Future release after 2010. Now, he’s back, for the most part, and he came back strong.

So, I guess the answer is yes. It did live up to the hype. It’s a fun ride, and gave us a bunch of new great songs, and I guess I couldn’t asked for much more. Now, it’s not a classic, it’s nowhere even close to album of the year status, but it’ll be listening to it for a while now. For the OF Tape Vol. 2, a 4 out of 5.