The rapper thinks his new releases are a more authentic depiction of himself.

Earl Sweatshirt’s music, much like fellow Odd Future rapper Tyler, The Creator’s music, has evolved away from the shock value songs that first helped both artists rise to fame. Earl’s newest album, Some Rap Songs, tackles themes of racism and personal loss, a far cry from the fantasies of violence and misogyny that fueled his debut mixtape, Earl. The rapper’s catalog remains, however, and in a new interview with Pitchfork, Earl reflected on the type of fans that his early music attracted.

“There’s an incel community that fucked with OF super tough, just the idea of just boys being misogynistic with their bros,” he said, referencing the “involuntary celibate” community that’s grown online and inspired prominent acts of violence against women. According to Pitchfork, Earl “wants that association erased,” and says his new music is more true to who he is.

The MC’s early songs include a track called “Epar,” where Earl and Vince Staples rap about violent depictions of rape and murder:

Three seconds it takes for her to turn blue

With my hands around her throat, her arms stopped moving

Pulse stops too, in the back, look confused

As I turn to tell them both not to do shit stupid

Both rappers have repeatedly disowned the song in the years since its release, but this type of content was a big part of Odd Future’s initial rise to prominence. It’s also drawn parallels to Eminem, whose violent lyrics have been a fixture of his career for decades.

Earl is now focusing on creating “riskier” music with a more experimental sound. The rapper revealed that he’s no longer with Columbia Records. “Figuring out how you can be radical from within the system breaks your head,” he said. “That’s where I’m really at: that frustrating-ass place… I’m excited to be free because then I can do riskier shit."

He’s not the only Odd Future rapper whose content has evolved. Last year, Tyler, the Creator said breakout album, Goblin, was “horrible” in hindsight, and he’s gone from being accused of homophobia to rapping about his own sexuality:

Read the full Pitchfork interview here and catch up on all the lyrics to Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs on Genius now.