Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock (born
Ian Matthias Bavitz, 1976) is a
hip hop musician (
rapper and
producer). Aesop's style blends a varying tone and delivery with subject matter that focuses on intricate sequences of widely varying imagery,
metaphors and
pop culture references, while including the occasional touchstones of traditional
hip hop storytelling and self-promotion. As a result of this unorthodox style, Aesop has become a controversial topic among hip hop enthusiasts.
A
New York City-born MC, Aesop initially recorded and released two self-financed albums independently, before making records for the
Mush record label, all whilst also working as a waiter in the city. Aesop released his first major album,
Float with guest appearances from
Vast Aire,
Slug and
Dose One. Production was done by
Blockhead and Aesop himself. Shortly after releasing
Float, Aesop Rock signed to
Definitive Jux (usually called Def Jux), where he released
Labor Days, an album dedicated to the discussion of labor in
American society and the concept of
"wage slaves". This album was most known for its single, "Daylight." Because of its popularity,
Daylight was re-released in
2002 as a 7-track EP, including an entirely new version of the song, "Night Light," the lyrics of which stand in stark opposition to the original's.
Labor Days was followed up by
Bazooka Tooth in
2003. This time around, production was mostly done by Aesop and
El-P, fellow hip-hop artist and head of Definitive Jux. Guest appearances include
Party Fun Action Committee, El-P,
Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and
Camp Lo. With this release Aesop hit a higher level of recognition, releasing a single and music video ("No Jumper Cables") and then another shortly after ("Freeze").
While the album has a more mainstream sound, shown by songs such as "Limelighters", it retains Aesop's intense and inventive lyrics. Examples from "Freeze": "you should have shot yourself in the foot while it was in your mouth" and "before you kick your feet up, I married and divorced Mother Nature after sweet-talking that old hag out of a pre-nup". At another point, Aesop interrupts the song "11:35" with a sudden minute-long rap, performed almost
a cappella over a minimal beat: "I got one - Jack for Jill, Jill won't, Jack will. Jill didn't, then did, Jack fell"
Bazooka Tooth was criticized by fans of
Labor Days and
Float that Aesop seems to have lost his compassion found in his first two albums and has replaced it with a more confrontational and traditional style; this seems to be reflected in the more intense production which lost a lot of its jazzy, abstract sound from
Float and
Labor Days.
In February of
2005, Aesop Rock released his new EP,
Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP includes an 88 page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled
The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); further pressings of the album come without the booklet. In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from his label with Aesop Rock's
graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Aesop did less producing on the EP. The EP has three songs produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one produced by Rob Sonic.
Although no longer available, except as
bootlegs, Aesop's two independent releases are widely sought after in the underground scene, and are considered some of his best work by some. On
Music for Earthworms, Aesop features the legendary
Percee P on two tracks.
In April of 2006, it was announced that Aesop Rock is working on a new album. The album, still untitled, is said to feature
Blockhead and DJ Big Wiz so far. No release date has been set.
[ ] The new album will also feature traditional instrumentation by Parchman Farm the band of his newly wed wife Allyson Baker. Aesop Rock has moved out of New York City to live with his wife in San Francisco.
Independent releases
Music For Earthworms (
1997)
Appleseed (
1999)
Mush releases
Float (
2000)
Definitive Jux releases
Labor Days (
2001)
Boombox 12" (
2001)
Daylight 12" (
2001)
Coma / Maintenance 12" (
2001)
Daylight (
2002)
Bazooka Tooth (
2003)
Easy / No Jumper Cables 12" (
2003)
Freeze / The Greatest Pac-Man Victory In History 12" (
2003)
Limelighters 12" (
2003)
Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives (
2005)
Fishtales (
2006)
*
Definitive Jux biography*
Mush biography
