Odd Future Rep Suspicious Over Earl Sweatshirt's Letter, "It Makes Me Wonder If That Was His Mother Speaking"

Odd Future publicist Heathcliff Berru has come forward to shed light on estranged group member Earl Sweatshirt's public statement earlier this week asking fans to cease their "Free Earl" campaign.

Berru believes the comments could have been put together by the rapper's mother.

Heathcliff Berru, the group's longtime publicist, told XXLMag.com that he doesn't believe the comments actually came from the OFWGKTA lyricist, but instead were written by the 17-year-old rapper's mother. "With them on tour [Odd Future] don't want to talk about it," he told XXL, "but it makes me wonder if that was Earl speaking or his mother speaking on his behalf. [New Yorker scribe] Kelefa [Sanneh] never technically had direct communication with Earl. All I know is that doesn't sound like Earl. My only thought is for his safe return." (XXL Mag)

A couple nights ago, Tyler the Creator spoke on Earl's comments.

"He'll Be Back In Due Time, Just Wait. Thats My N*gga, He Now Has A Home To Come Too. No F*cking Pressure. Hopefully Fans Respect That.," Tyler tweeted late Monday (May 16) night.

"And Respect His, His Moms And Familys Privacy. This Goes For Writers Too. Miss You N*gga, FREE THE EARLY MAN. The World Will Be Ours! OF" (Tyler the Creator's Twitter)

On Monday (May 16), Earl came out and spoke to his fans via a statement.

"Initially I was really pleased that all these people claimed that they wanted me released because I thought that translated into 'they care,'" Earl wrote. "So time progresses and the fan base gets bigger and the 'Free Earl' chants get louder but now with the 'Free Earl' chants come a barely indirect 'F*ck Earl's Mom' and in the blink of an eye my worry changes from 'will there still be this hype when I get back' to 'Oh sh*t I just inspired a widespread movement of people who are dedicated to the downfall of my mom.' ... The only thing I need as of right now is space. I've still got work to do and don't need the additional stress of fearing for my family's physical well-being. Space means no more 'Free Earl.' I miss home. I don't have any definite date though. Even if I did I don't know if I'd tell you. You'll hear from me without a doubt when I'm ready." (New Yorker)

Initial speculation developed suggesting he was deliberately taken out of the spotlight by his family.

The leader of the group is a 19 year-old named Tyler, or Tyler The Creator. The second-most prominent of the group is a rapper named Hodgy Beats. The rest of the group splinter off into sub-groups. The youngest member is Earl Sweatshirt, who was recently sent away to boarding school by his parents. (Esquire)