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Ace Rock)
Aesop Rock performing at a concert
Although little is known about his personal life,
Aesop Rock (real name Ian Bavitz) is well known in the
underground hip hop scene as an original and inventive rapper. His style blends rapid-fire delivery with confusing lyrics and
Dadaist style that some critics attack as randomness, while others discover meanings within them. Some go as far to call him a
street poet because his rhymes are closer to poetry than the
nihilism and materialism usually associated with
hip hop. His nod to famous Greek storyteller
Aesop in his psuedonym is proof enough of his unusual material.
A white New York City-based rapper, Aesop initially did records for the Mush record label, including his first major release Float with guest appearances from Cannibal Ox, Slug and Dose One. Production was done by Blockhead and Aesop himself. Lyrics included "I'm an honesty columnist, fathering doom document, cursed version of a certain Virgin Mary womb occupant"
Shortly after releasing Float, Aesop Rock signed to Definitive 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 with an unmistakable chorus: "All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day, put the pieces back together my way"
This was followed by Bazooka Tooth, his most recent album. This time around, production was mostly done by Aesop and El-P, president and CEO of Definitive Jux. Guest appearances include Party Fun, 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.
Aesop Rock is currently touring with the rest of Definitive Jux.
Discography
Mush releases
Float
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)
Independent releases
Music For Earth Worms
Appleseed
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