From the group, OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), Earl Sweatshirt left to a boarding school in Colorado. In response, the group created a post on their tumblr (oddfuture.com) saying FREE EARL.
Fans then picked this up and create a meme in the process. Images with the words FREE EARL that are superemposed onto a picture of Earl or anything that is swagg.