Jessington Steel

14 years ago today, Odd Future (@ofwgkta) dropped "Oldie"—one of their most iconic videos that almost didn't happen. It only did because @tylerthecreator refused to let anyone turn the camera off.⁠ ⁠ The members of the group told the story of that day in an oral history published by The Ringer in 2022. When Odd Future descended on Milk Studios in Chelsea, the session unraveled fast. The XXL staff "were understandably trying to contain a group of rowdy kids," Mike G recalled, "but we weren't having it."⁠ ⁠ Someone plugged in an iPhone, "Oldie" came through the speakers, and director Lance Bangs kept his camera rolling over objections from the room. The moment Tyler realized what was happening, he called the shots: "No, f*ck that, Lance, keep shooting this sh*t.” What followed was a single, unedited take of the entire 10-minute posse cut performed live.⁠ ⁠ For @earlxsweat, freshly back from Samoa and still finding his footing, the whole day had a surreal quality: "It just felt like a cartoon, in the sense that n****s just was doin' whatever they wanted to do." For Tyler, zooming out in real time, the stakes were clearer: “I’ve seen music documentaries, this might be the last time everyone's together so we need to document this."⁠ ⁠ He was right. "A f*ckin' balloon popped that night, and we all went in our own directions. That was the last time we was all together like that. Still,” Tyler explained. Frank, looking back, arrived at the same place: "The atmosphere reminds me of how it feels to be in a room full of musicians where everyone is improvising and for a brief period it's pure magic. It's the same rush."⁠ ⁠ Bangs edited the footage on a laptop during a red-eye to Portland. It now sits at over 56 million views. It cost nothing.⁠