Aesop Rock: The Greatest Rapper You've Never Heard Of

The recent release of Aesop Rock’s ninth full-length solo studio album, Integrated Tech Solutions, makes this the perfect time to shine a light on the best rapper you’ve never heard of. With just over one million monthly listeners on Spotify, he is often overshadowed by the giants of the rap game, including the similarly named but unrelated A$AP Rocky.

But Aesop Rock has been putting in work since the 90s, self-funding his first two releases before he even graduated college, and building a devout cult following along the way.

Born Ian Bavitz in a sleepy Long Island town in 1976, he would go on to release an impressive body of work. Including those nine solo studio albums, several EPs and singles, soundtracks for movies and video games, a plethora of guest tracks, as well as numerous collaboration albums. Two notable collabs are the duos, Malibu Ken, composed of Aesop Rock and electronic musician TOBACCO, and Hail Mary Mallon, which released two albums featuring Aesop Rock and fellow rapper, Rob Sonic.

Aesop Rock

Intergrated Tech Solutions - 2023 Courtesy of Rhymesayers entertainment

New York’s influence is apparent in Aesop’s work, citing groups like Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, and Run DMC as his earliest rap influences. But he credits his older brother Chris for introducing him to rock acts like Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, and Ministry. This diverse influence can be felt in the uniqueness of his tracks and his collaboration with artists outside of the genre. New York is also where he met his long-time collaborator, producer, and friend, Blockhead.

Aesop Rock is famous (or infamous) for his lyricism.

While his critics say he is too verbose, even going so far as to say his lyrics are incomprehensible, I have to disagree. Though they aren’t without some merit.

According to a study by data scientist Matt Daniels, where he calculated the number of unique words in the first 35,000 words of the most famous rappers, Aesop Rock had used 7392 unique words. That put him almost 1000 unique words above the legendary GZA of Wu-Tang fame and over 2000 unique words above Shakespeare. However, using many words does not necessarily make for good lyrics. 

Still from the music video for “kirby” - Courtesy of rhymesayers entertainment

Aesop’s powerful command over his extensive vocabulary lets him weave metaphors and imagery rich with pop culture and mythology on top of complex internal rhyme schemes. His most popular song, “None Shall Pass,” the titular track of his 2007 album, is a prime example of his lyricism. The opening lines of the song manage to evoke the social disparity and discontent during an age of frightened uncertainty where wealth is flaunted as the masses are struggling to survive. All in just 14 words.

“Flash that buttery gold, jittery zeitgeist wither by a watering hole, what a patrol,”

Not all his songs are so densely metaphorical.

In his catalogue, you will find his retelling of witnessing a baseball coach brutally kill a gopher with a bat, a song about his cat, “Kirby,” and a children’s story about a frog called “Long Legged Larry,” just to name a few. You will also find many deeply personal accounts from Aesop’s life and his struggles with isolation, identity, and loss.

One heart-wrenching track for any artist is “Rings” from the 2016 album The Impossible Kid, where Aesop laments his lost practice of sketching and painting, saying,

“Used to paint. Hard to admit that I used to paint... Routine day with a dirt cheap brush. Then a week goes by, and it goes untouched. Then two, then three, then a month. And the rest of your life you beat yourself up.”

Artwork compilation from some of Aesop Rock’s albums

These all stand as examples to the critics of his more poetic tracks that Aesop’s grasp of language allows him to tell the stories he wants to tell. No matter how complex, or simple. Aesop puts it best himself, stating in an interview when asked about the criticisms of his lyrics being nonsensical, “you’d have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place.”

Aesop has proven that you don’t have to fit into the mainstream to be successful. If you are passionate about your work, your audience will find it, and it will be all the more impactful.

And maybe now you’ve just heard of your new favourite rapper.

---

Alex is a second year student in the Algonquin Professional Writing program, but if you are here you probably already guessed that. 

He’s got a bass collecting dust in his closet so he’s a huge fan of Rush’s gnarly bass lines and lyrics about quests for the fountain of youth and riding a spaceship through a blackhole to mythical ancient Greece. 

But since he’s from Halifax he can’t help himself sing along and stomp his foot to Barrett’s Privateers if it hits his salty ears.  

Top Five Prog Rock Odysseys By Rush

Music has always been used to tell stories. Stories of life, love, and loss are told by musicians worldwide. But the Canadian three-piece progressive rock titan Rush has an impressive catalogue of songs that go beyond the scope of the usual fare. 

Join me as we examine the sagas told by Rush's top five epics. With a collective runtime approaching that of a feature-length film, get comfortable, grab some popcorn, and listen along as we explore time, space, life after death, and the quest for eternal youth. 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Rush Featured on the back album cover of 2112 - 1976 Image Courtesy of Mercury Records

Caress of steel - 1975 COURTESY OF MERCURY Records

"The Necromancer" - Caress of Steel 1975 (Runtime - 12:28)

Don your cloak and pull it tight as we begin our journey in "the dark and forbidding lands of the Necromancer." This is the tale of three men whose travels take them too close to an evil wizard's tower. 

With his dark powers, the titular villain imprisons the travellers in his dungeons to be turned into "empty, mindless spectres." Fortunately, their captor is slain by one of his rebellious thralls, Prince By-Tor. And with his death, the prisoners and the lands are freed from the dread influence of the Necromancer. 

This was one of Rush's earlier forays into long-form stories, and as such, it’s not quite as strong as some of the others featured here. It is, however, a sign of great things to come as we see drummer Neil Peart's lyricism shining through with influence from and allusions to Tolkien's work; this song features all the hallmarks of a fantasy epic.

A farewell to kings - 1977 Courtesy of Mercury Records

"Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" - A Farewell to Kings 1977 (Runtime - 10:25)

Hop aboard the ship "Rocinante" and set off on a journey into the stars. Our destination? The heart of the constellation of Cygnus, to a "mysterious, invisible force, the black hole of Cygnus X-1." This song poses the question of what lies beyond the void? Is there life after death?

As the X-ray's "siren song" draws us into the heart of Cygnus, we wonder, will we be "atomized at the core" or pass "through the astral door – to soar?"

We see the band's love of Sci-Fi in this song as it draws on real-world science and lays it on top of an extravagant tale of flying a spaceship through a black hole.

This song is the scantest on the list regarding length and lyrics. Nevertheless, it evokes a sense of exploration and discovery beautifully. It also sets the stage for the more ambitious Book II, released the following year.

HEMISPHERES - 1978 Courtesy of Mercury Records

"Cygnus X-1 Book 2: Hemispheres" - Hemispheres 1978 (Runtime - 18:08)

The second half of the Cygnus X-1 saga takes us rocketing through time to the mythological days of ancient Greece and into the struggle for control of the hearts and minds of humankind between the "gods of Love and Reason," Dionysus and Apollo.

This conflict leads to a climactic battle between the warring factions and the revelation of an ancient tale of the Rocinate's final flight. With the nature of time now in question, our narrator from Book I returns as a "disembodied spirit" and emissary of peace amid the chaos. 

Our narrator experiences apotheosis, becoming "Cygnus, the god of balance," uniting the heart and mind "in a single perfect sphere."   

With a tale as mythological as its setting, this song is a shining example of the power of music as a vessel for storytelling. This song draws on the oral history of humanity and the way these stories connect with us at our most fundamental nature.   

2112 - 1976 Courtesy of mercury records

"2112" - 2112 1976 (Runtime - 20:34)

The year is 2112, and society is controlled by a ruling priest class of the “Temples of Syrinx.” These priests control every aspect of life, from books and art to stock and trade, uniting the "planets of The Solar Federation" under the banner of the Red Star.

Our protagonist finds a mysterious music-producing object that we know is a guitar. Thinking this beauty will change the world, he brings it to the priests, who chastise him for wasting their time. They already know all about these things and claim that they led to the ruin of the "Elder Race."

Enter a mysterious oracle who leads our hero on a nocturnal odyssey. He is shown how the world was before the Elders left, and the planets were taken over by the Temple. He falls into a deep depression before passing away, unable to see the return of the Elders to "tear the temples down."  

"2112" is one of the best examples of Rush's achievements. Its driving sound and heady themes blend flawlessly into a masterful work of musical storytelling, as well as being a stone-cold banger. For many, "2112" is Rush's crowning piece, and it's hard to argue.

But for me, there is one more song that doesn't always get the love it deserves.

Back Cover of Caress of steel - 1975 Courtesy of mercury Records

"The Fountain of Lamneth" - Caress of Steel 1975 (Runtime - 19:57)

Our final stop is following the footsteps of one man's lifelong quest to find the legendary "Fountain of Lamneth." We trade a comfortable life for adventure. We survive a shipwreck, find love and loss, and lose our way and ourselves. We drown our sorrows as we "draw another goblet" amid the endless days.

But we persist in "hope and fear" and find our way to the "dancing waters." Sadly, we lament the discovery with our hero, "I thought I would be singing, but I'm tired… out of breath," as they learn that the journey, not the destination, gave their life meaning.

Of all the grandiose stories told in these songs, this one is the most human. While the adventures recounted here are no less fantastic than the others, the message at this story's heart is universally relatable. Our pursuits will never imbue our lives with lasting purpose when they cost us our meaningful connections.

As the song says, "Life is just a candle, and a dream must give it flame."

---

Alex is a second year student in the Algonquin Professional Writing program, but if you are here you probably already guessed that. 

He’s got a bass collecting dust in his closet so he’s a huge fan of Rush’s gnarly bass lines and lyrics about quests for the fountain of youth and riding a spaceship through a blackhole to mythical ancient Greece. 

But since he’s from Halifax he can’t help himself sing along and stomp his foot to Barrett’s Privateers if it hits his salty ears.  

Heavy Mithril: The Magical Mixture of Metal & Fantasy

The connection between music and the fantasy genre runs deep. Musicians may have a mystique and allure of coolness around them but many, if not most, are big nerds at heart. This should come as no surprise to anyone who took part in a high school band class. This is reflected in the many nerd-centric genres of music; nerdcore rap, filk, chiptune, even music festivals like Nerdapalooza. But perhaps no genre has fully embraced and unabashedly celebrated its nerd roots like Metal.

Metal wields fantasy themes with all the power and grace of a +2 longsword.

Rainbow’s Rising - 1976

Fantasy has been a part of metal since the formation of the genre. Black Sabbath, often credited as one of the founders of heavy metal, had a song on their debut titled “The Wizard.” It's hard to look anywhere in the early days of metal and not find an elf or an orc hiding in the liner notes. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Rainbow, or anything Ronnie James Dio was involved in, all heavily featured themes that would be equally at home on a table top covered in graph paper, polyhedral dice and Mountain Dew as they would be layered on top of a shedding guitar riff.

But why are Metal and Fantasy so interlinked like rings in a coat of mail?

Like trying to mine a vein of Mithril, we need to dig back to the bedrock that built the foundation upon which Heavy Metal was forged.

The earliest recognized Heavy Metal bands all started in England in the 1960’s during the postwar boom period where British culture exploded onto the world stage. This is the Britain that gave us The Beatles and The Stones. As the Swinging Sixties swung along, music got pretty mind bending thanks to Psychedelic Rock bands like Pink Floyd. As the themes of the music became more esoteric, and less sock hop, the now familiar tropes of fantasy began to appear.

We can almost see that gleaming Mithril ore now, but we still need to go a little deeper.

Uriah Heep’s Demons and wizards -1972

England in the 1950’s was a very different place. The country was still reeling from the end of the Second World War. Suffering from the destruction of the bombings, its resources were strained thin, and its people were exhausted from the largest world conflict to date. But something very special came out of the dark beginning of this decade.

Fantasy classics began to appear at a staggering rate. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings, Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series all had their beginnings in the 1950’s. Tales like these breathed new life into the pulp Swords and Sorcery genre that started in the 1930’s, inspiring a generation of young Brits to weave these heroic and fantastic themes into their music.

Rhapsody of fire’s legendary tales - 1997

The need for escapism and mental adventure has persisted long past postwar England and is felt by all of us at some point in our lives. And that need has seen the themes of fantasy blend together with Metal like an alchemical elixir.

The love of fantasy in metal has spawned countless sub-genres but perhaps the pinnacle of this is Power Metal. Bands across the world like Italy’s Rhapsody of Fire, Germany’s Blind Guardian, Finland’s Nightwish, and Canada’s own 3 Inches of Blood, all take the fantasy theme to its ultimate conclusion with soaring anthems of epic quests, rampaging monsters, valiant warriors, and magical mysteries.

There is no shortage of theories on how and why fantasy and metal became linked. Complex theories on the sociopolitical landscape after the Second World War and the way this influenced the themes of escapism and ideology in the arts. But ultimately I think it is just that people are always looking for an escape from the everyday. Some of us find it in sex, drugs, and rock and roll, others in swords, sorcery, and fantasy.

And for some of us, we find it in all of the above.

---

Alex is a second year student in the Algonquin Professional Writing program, but if you are here you probably already guessed that. 

He’s got a bass collecting dust in his closet so he’s a huge fan of Rush’s gnarly bass lines and lyrics about quests for the fountain of youth and riding a spaceship through a blackhole to mythical ancient Greece. 

But since he’s from Halifax he can’t help himself sing along and stomp his foot to Barrett’s Privateers if it hits his salty ears.  

Introduction

This is Vibe Check, the ultimate SPINE blog dedicated to the wide range of musical interests flowing through our minds and headphones. We’re a group of metalheads, punks, and poptimists who spend our time mulling over music and its cultural impact. Join us as we cover albums, lyrics, scores, and more.