Tyler the Creator, Mike G, Syd, Left Brain (L to R)

Run to the stands (now! right now! stop reading! do it now!) to pick up the new issue of Spin. It’s a great one cover to cover, but pages 50 thru 54 are my personal favorites. That’s right. It’s a five-page dive into the bizarre, exuberant world of rising L.A. rap stars Odd Future (OFWGKTA) penned by yours truly. A real labor of love that came with surprising little injury (well, people were hurt, but I wasn’t — it’s in the article). I spent hours with Tyler the Creator, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, Syd, Mike G and the inimitable Taco (was there when he revealed his new brace-less face), and even more hours (days?) on the Internet, reading Tweets, blogs, obscure articles and thought-to-be-lost emails about and by these young, rakish web-savvy entrepreneurs. I even talked to Flying Lotus, members of Liars and Tyler’s old high school teacher.

So, you can go over to Spin.com and read an EXCERPT, but really — really — if you find yourself anywhere near a news stand or Borders (hey, they’ve got to move that inventory!) at least consider stealing a copy of the real thing. Because once you’re done reading about the odd future of hip-hop, you’ll want to check out David Marchese’s excellent Lykke Li piece, plus all that other great stuff about Smith Westerns, Tame Impala, James Blake, Big K.R.I.T., Mndr, Dom and more (so much more). I mean, it’s the “Next Big Things” issue. Don’t you like big things? I’ve said too much.

Here’s the Odd Future excerpt. And here’s the NBT2K11 overview.

And here’s “Yonkers”: