Earl
We’re backstage at Camp Flog Gnaw. Loud bass booms. Our camera, in slow motion, tracks up from the floor, following behind a pair of baggy jeans and Jordan 4s as they walk through a tunnel. The camera continues panning up to the back of a figure’s head, walking through a thick cloud of weed smoke. He wears a snapback with only one of the snaps snapped, sitting atop long dreadlocks. We hear the loud chants of a feverish crowd waiting just beyond the tunnel. An echo-filtered voiceover pierces the frame through like a voice inside all our heads:
VOICEOVER
Don’t care. Don’t care.
The figure—we never see him from the front—keeps walking until: We cut to black.
OVER BLACK, A TITLE CARD POPS UP:
EARL
The voiceover continues as the title fades out:
VOICEOVER
Don’t care. Still don’t care. I don’t care.
An establishing shot outside of a modest home. It’s sunny.
TITLE CARD, LARGE LETTERING:
2003, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
We’re inside the house now, looking at close ups of different family photos inside frames. We linger on one of a young boy with a large forehead, scowling and with his arms folded rebelliously. The rest of the family smiles normally. This young boy is EARL, our main character. We rack focus from the photo to the glass reflection and in it we see that same young boy, about 8 years old, standing up in the living room, dancing in place, while rapping. He holds the TV remote like it’s a mic. Across from him, sitting on the couch is his father, KEORAPETSE.
EARL
(rapping)
I’m out for presidents to represent me.
I’m out for presidents to represent me.
I’m out for dead ‘nickuf presidents to represent me. Get money!
KEORAPETSE
Ok, stop. I don’t like that one. What else you got?
EARL
Ummm…
Earl thinks to himself.
EARL
(rapping)
I know I can (I know I can), be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard at it), I’ll be where I wanna be (I’ll be where I wanna be)
Be, b-boys and girl, listen up
You can be anything in the world in God we trust
An architect, doctor, even an actress
But nothing comes easy it takes much practice—
KEORAPETSE
Stop, stop. What is that?
EARL
It’s Nas.
KEORAPETSE
I don’t like it.
EARL
But Dad—
KEORAPETSE
No, it’s too… obvious. I don’t feel the words. I don’t understand this rhythm, this cadence. What are you trying to say?
EARL
I mean. I don’t know.
KEORAPETSE
What do you mean you don’t know? There is no “I don’t know.” You either care, or you don’t care!
Earl sulks. Keorapatse stands up and gets in Earl’s face.
KEORAPETSE
You hear me?? You either care or you don’t care!
Earl puts his head down.
KEORAPETSE
Do you understand me, boy?
EARL
Yes, Keorapatse.
We move back over to a close up of the framed photo from earlier, camera focused on the reflection instead of the photo. In it we see Keorapatse walk out of the living room, leaving Earl standing there.
MATCH CUT TO:
That same living room reflection, only it’s later that night. Earl is sitting on the couch holding the same TV remote. He’s watching TV, a channel called “BET Uncut.” On the TV a loud, energetic song plays:
MUSIC ARTIST (TV Audio)
I mean, do ya thang. Lemme do my thang. Shawty!
Move that thang, mami move that thang. Come on!
Move that thang, mami move that thang!
Pump! Pump Pump it Up!
Earl is transfixed. On the screen is JOE BUDDEN, wearing oversized matching blue clothing, rapping with intense energy. He’s outside at a basketball game surrounded by a crowd of supporters.
EARL
Wow.
JOE BUDDEN (TV Audio)
Pump, P-p-p-pump pump p-pump, pump, pump pump it up!
Pump, P-p-p-pump pump p-pump, pump, pump pump it up!
The music video fades out as the credits pop up in the bottom left corner. Earl sees the name of the artist in question, mouth agape.
EARL
Joe… Budden.
We move back to the close up of the framed photo reflection, seeing the whole living room and Earl on the couch.
ANOTHER MATCH CUT TO:
The same living room but years later. Earl is much older, now a high-schooler, sitting on the same living room couch watching TV, eating cereal. He’s watching MTV Jams and pointing at the screen laughing.
EARL
Ha ha! Shit is soooo dumb, bro! Look at this nigga.
TITLE CARD, LARGE LETTERING:
2009
After a moment, Earl gets a text message on his phone and smiles.
EARL
Hell yeah.
Earl gets up off the couch, throws the dishes in the sink, puts on a Supreme 5-panel, grabs his skateboard by the door, then heads out.
We’re outside and Earl is cruising through the neighborhood, baggy t-shirt blowing in the wind as he moves fast.
We push in close on Earl’s face, tracking with him. Off screen we hear someone beatboxing, but somehow the sound is keeping up with Earl. Earl doesn’t look over, he just smiles.
He begins freestyling:
EARL
(rapping)
Uh. Uh. Uh.
Cruisin down the street
Shorty said she tryna meet
Whole time I’m just thinkin bout my meat
We pan over and see another young teenage boy in a bright T-shirt and a 5-panel cap of his own, the one beatboxing. He’s riding a bike, keeping up. This is TYLER, THE CREATOR. He picks up the freestyle where Earl leaves off:
TYLER
I asked her do she like to eat
Cuz she can eat my meat
Or we can go to the italian spot and get some Pi-
EARL
ZA! like what I’m smokin
A young girl is walking down the street as they ride by.
EARL
(pointing)
Damn her shit pokin
Bout to hit her great auntie up like
“Scuse me, is she spoken… FOR”
We hear some laughs. Three more teenage boys TACO, LIONEL and JASPER all, seemingly out of nowhere, appear next to Earl and Tyler as they all cruise down the street in unison. Taco is also on bike, with Jasper riding the pegs. Lionel is on a scooter.
TYLER
Five! Six!
Hittin bike tricks on yo bitch!
While she suck farts out a nigga ass
and lick the dookie flakes from my shits—
They all start cracking up at this one as we SMASH CUT TO:
A high energy live rap performance, inside a venue. Bass booms out the speakers. Tyler holds a mic and is rapping into it with lots of energy. The crowd is going wild.
TITLE CARD, LARGE LETTERING:
2010, WEBSTER HALL. NEW YORK CITY
We cut to fans in the crowd and they are losing their minds. White kids, black kids, alt kids, all kinds of kids just acting up and loving it. Some of them start passing out while Tyler raps. An entourage of about 10+ members surrounds him and they rap along as hype men. This is ODD FUTURE. However, Earl is nowhere to be found.
Tyler jumps in the crowd, and begins crowdsurfing. The crowd moves him around for awhile and then sends him back on stage. He just lays on the ground, playing dead. Then: he start convulsing.
That’s when: the DJ switches the song to “EARL”, one of Earl’s most well known songs. It blasts out of the Webster Hall speakers. The crowd goes wild as we hear Earl’s voice pierce through the venue. Tyler keeps convulsing.
EARL’S VOICE (Speakers)
Yo, I’m a hot and bothered astronaut
Crashin while jackin’ off
To bufferin’ vids of Asher Roth eatin Applesauce
Sent to Earth to poke Catholics in the ass with saws
The crowd immediately starts rapping along. Tyler hops and runs around the stage like a madman.
EARL’S VOICE PLUS CROWD
And knock blunt ashes into their caskets, and laugh it off
Twisted, sicker than mad cattle, in fact, I’m off
Six different liquors, with a Prince wig plastered on
TYLER
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
The DJ cuts the song off. The crowd cheers.
TYLER
Yo, sing this shit! Are y’all fucking dumb?
The DJ cues the song back up from the beginning. We hear Earl’s voice pierce through the speakers again and this time, the crowd is even louder:
EARL’S VOICE PLUS CROWD
Yo, I’m a hot and bothered astronaut
Crashin while jackin’ off
While this is happening we INTERCUT with grainy music video footage from the “EARL” music video, as the lyrics in the venue ring off. We see Earl rapping, all the way in his element. And for the first time in our movie, we understand: Earl really does this.
EARL’S VOICE PLUS CROWD
To bufferin’ vids of Asher Roth eatin Applesauce
Sent to Earth to poke Catholics in the ass with saws
More INTERCUT scenes from the music video: nipples bleeding, the different members of Odd Future spitting up blood, losing teeth, vomiting, Tyler on the ground convulsing.
The DJ cuts the song off.
Immediately, the crowd starts a chant:
CROWD
FREE EARL! FREE EARL! FREE EARL!
Tyler holds the mic out and then cups his hand around his ear.
CROWD
FREE EARL! FREE EARL! FREE EARL!
The loud chants echo as we move to—
We’re somewhere in a tropical location. It’s totally quiet. The sky above is that in between dawn color, before the sun has had a chance to get over the horizon.
We move inside to a tiny room with a bunk bed. Earl is shirtless, hunched over a laptop. From the laptop we hear:
CROWD (Computer Audio)
FREE EARL! FREE EARL! FREE EARL!
It’s the concert footage from Webster Hall via YouTube. Earl is watching it, smiling.
EARL
Damn.
Earl takes out his cell phone. He navigates some menus to a conversation labeled “Tyler💩”. He types a series of text messages:
Bro
The way you were convulsing brother?
Masterful.
Tyler immediately responds to it:
Thanks bro <3
We need u back here nigga. A lot to do
We’re close on Earl as the message sinks in. He types another message:
I know. Soon man
Earl leans back in his chair. He puts on a shirt and gets up.
We’re outside now, the sun has still yet to come up. Earl walks out onto the porch and surrounding him on all sides are palm trees, but no humans in sight. There are chickens roaming the grounds.
He looks out into the distance, broodingly, and takes a deep sigh.
WE CUT TO:
It’s nighttime at Earl’s childhood home. Several months prior. He sits at the dinner table, twiddling his thumbs, looking down. Across from him is his mother, Cheryl Harris. She has an open laptop next to her. She looks at her son with concern, but also with deep belief.
CHERYL
You have a special light, Earl. Don’t let anyone dim that. You have to shine bright. You hear me?
EARL
But what if I…
Earl starts choking up.
EARL
what if… I don’t care?
CHERYL
It doesn’t matter, Earl. The world deserves to see your light.
Cheryl turns the laptop toward him. On the screen is the music video for “EARL”, the one we saw before, where we see images of young teenage boys bleeding and and pulling off fingernails.
CHERYL
That’s why: I’m going to send you away, Earl. I know someone in Samoa who will help you with your journey.
EARL
What?
CHERYL
Listen to me, it’s not forever, but… you’ll thank me later.
EARL
But Mom! I’m… a rapper now.
CHERYL
And you still will be. After you come back.
Earl is stunned. Cheryl’s final refrain “echoes” into our frame as we CUT TO:
CHERYL (Voiceover)
After you come back.
We’re back in Samoa. Earl stands on the porch, replaying that moment in his mind’s eye. He gives a determined look, and then heads back inside.
We open to a new scene, flooded by the bright lights of a film set. There are a number of crew people running around doing different jobs.
TITLE CARD, LARGE LETTERING:
2012, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
We’re close on the back of a chair designated for acting talent. Written in silver sharpie it says: “EARL SWEATSHIRT”
We pull back and see Earl from behind, sitting in the chair, patiently waiting. But: something is different. We pull back far enough and see that his head is fully shaved. He’s bouncing his knee up and down anxiously.
We hold on this back angle as Tyler comes into frame and puts both hands on his shoulders and give him a reassuring massage.
TYLER
You ready bro?
EARL
As I’ll ever be.
DIRECTOR (Off Screen)
Let’s get everyone in place, please! We’re ready to start rolling.
Earl stands up and our camera swoops around to the front of him. We see his entire lower face is covered in black face paint, meant to look like a very thick beard. And because of the obvious air bubbles on the top of his head, we see that he’s not actually bald, but he’s wearing a bald cap. He also wears a sleeveless denim jacket with a navy v-neck underneath it. The director, a white dude with a baseball cap, walks up to him:
DIRECTOR
Hey, so what should I call you? Do you want me to call you Earl, or do you want me to call you Joe?
Earl places his hand on the director’s shoulder.
EARL
Refer to me as Joe. I wanna stay locked in.
DIRECTOR
You got it.
Earl walks onto the set, sits down in a chair opposite from a white actor, sitting at a desk. He takes a deep breath.
DIRECTOR
Alright, everyone! We’re gonna go again on the crying scene. Joe, just do what feels right. Alright. Action!
The scene plays out:
WHITE GUY
Also, your beard requires visitation rights with your kids every other week.
JOE (EARL)
Nah… Nah… Ahhhhh
(begins weeping loudly)
Ahhhhh!!! I want my beardd!!!!
WHITE GUY
I’m sorry Mr. Budden. Your beard does not want you.
DIRECTOR
Cut!
Loud cheering noises. The whole crew cheers for Earl’s performance, he smiles and basks in the praise. We move from those sounds to—
Loud cheering sounds. We’re back on the man at the tunnel from the opening of our movie. He holds a mic in his hand.
TITLE CARD, LARGE LETTERING:
2023, CAMP FLOG GNAW
That same voiceover from the opening persists, and we now know it’s Earl’s voice. His inner thoughts ring off:
EARL (Voiceover)
I don’t care. I don’t care.
We move around to the front of the man: Earl, with long dreadlocks, now much older, approaching 30.
EARL (Voiceover)
Don’t care. I still don’t care. Don’t care.
He takes a deep breath.
He turns around to look at a tall viking looking white dude behind him, presumably his security. He looks the gentleman in the eye and in a confident tone:
EARL
Pump it up.
The viking dude smiles, then nods.
VIKING
Pump it up.
In slow motion, Earl walks out onto to stage. Before he begins rapping his opening bars, we CUT TO BLACK. Text fades onto the screen:
HIS STORY CONTINUES
