Photo by Will Deitz

The New York Times has published a feature on a post-boarding school Earl Sweatshirt, containing interviews with Earl, his mother, and more. The teenage rapper, who's widely considered the most talented of the Odd Future crew, has some big plans now that he's back among his peers. According to the Times, he recently signed a deal for his own Columbia Records-distributed imprint called Tan Cressida (Odd Future Records also falls under the Sony umbrella, distributed through RED).

"I want it to look seamless", he said, explaining that he chose that path over more lucrative offers in order to sustain alignment with the collective. He's currently plotting a solo album, a release with the Internet's Matt Martians and a collaborative project with Tyler, the Creator called EarlWolf.

But don't expect the type of lyrical content he kicked off his career with before shipping out for reform. Recall that one of his most skillful rhymes, from the 2010 door-kicker "Earl", goes: "I got nuts to bust/ And butts to fuck and ups to shut/ And sluts to fuckin' uppercut."

Earl explained to the Times that he was affected by time he spent at Coral Reef Academy doing community service at a center for sexual abuse victims. "That was a pivotal moment... I had already come to the conclusion that I was done talking about.... there's no defense for like-- if you have any ounce of humanity."

Watch the video for "Oldie", the Earl-featuring track from OF Tape Vol. 2: