At the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this summer, I missed the planned protest against LA rap group Odd Future (for their use of Eminem-derived rape/murder fantasies and more broadly endemic homophobic slurs in their lyrics). What I did catch was ringleader Tyler, the Creator leaping from his crutches to crowd-surf with his cast on then disappear into a crowd of thousands who were going apeshit to OF’s every command. If you believe the hype, Odd Future are the apotheosis of the Not Giving a Fuck generation–a pack of teenage wolves who fire off offensive, willfully provocative raps with blameless glee, like kids playing with cap guns. But it’s hard to believe such an ambitious hustle could truly be fueled by apathy. Whether you find the act contrived or the wordplay loaded with real bullets, you can’t deny the crew’s perverse charisma, especially on cuts like Tyler’s “Yonkers” or “French.” ERIC GRANDY

Tue., Oct. 4, 8 p.m., 2011