why all the aesop rock hate?

[JackMehoff379]

ok this has been bugging me for a while, ever since i really started listening to his stuff. to me, aesop rock is a fresh mc who always comes with stimulating lyrics over tight beats. but through all his tight music, he always gets hella hate especially on boards like this. if you dont understand wut hes sayin, educate yourself...now someone please give me some explanation

[Nasty]

Who's hating on Aesop Rock??? :confused: :confused: :confused:

[TopherEightyFive]

if you can understand what hes saying, i feel sorry for you cause he ain't sayin shit for the most part. why do people always mistake honesty for hate? if you were being honest, youd know that hes only rocked on a couple "tight beats" since hes parted ways with blockhead.

i would never go out and diss a cat out of no where, so im no hater. you ask for an opinion and ill tell you what i think and leave it at that.

[SexyOrangutang]

The bottom line:

Its not necessarily him that bugs most people, its his fans. Most people can agree that he's at least somewhat talented...He's a creative writer with a unique delivery. Thats more than you can say for most rappers. But these kids ride his jock so hard its unbelievable. Yeah its easy to concede there will always be a place in hip hop for these kind of artists, but these def jux/mf doom paper thin sheep treat him like the god of all that is good...as if he was the first rapper in the history of life to a) do something unique and b) say something intelligent. And then they go around wearing their dickriding as a badge of honor, thinking that purchasing an aesop rock album some how admits them to this secret fraternity of "underground coolness" and a sense of elitist intellectual snobbery. These are the kind of guys who will claim they love hip hop, but "none of that gangster shit, I only want something with a message." I swear to go none of these jock riders will ever get laid (w/o paying, of course).

Recently he's been bugging me, for two main reasons. 1) He's been picking/producing some straight up garbage beats. 2) His voice has all of a sudden turned real shitty.

I enjoy his first three albums (earthworms, appleseed, labor days), and in the right mood I don't mind the daylight EP, but thats about it. He was pretty good at maintaining a darkish mellow mood, and (especially w/ blockhead on labor days) really thrived at climaxing a song. (my oh my, pharoe monche would be proud). Nowadays he's been letting El P give him too much advice with his work on the boards, and it just doesnt sound very good.

So any negative resoponse garnered by the mention of an aesop rong cd/single/concert is 90% geared at the shittiness of his fanbase rather than any real gripe with the artist.


Oh and one more thing: I hate getting into the Aesop Rock Lyrics Debate, but I'm gonna have to add my two cents on this occasion. It's really hard to argue that he's actually saying anything that is either overly complex in meaning, or that hasn't really been said before, or entirely profound in any way. His subject matter is very basic. The thing that gets people is that he just chooses to say things in an extremely complex and roundabout way. Most of his songs simply deal with his observations of life around him...and he uses an abnormal vocabulary mostly to emphasize the humor/irony/insanity/whatever he finds in these everyday situations. If you'd like, you can compare Labor Days to Eyedea's "First Born", in which Eyedea deals with very heavy/philisophical/ (dare I say) "profound" topics yet presents them in a relatively straightforward manner. IMO, first born is the epitome of what we lovingly (and hatingly, of course) label as Nerd Rap. Labor Days is more along the lines of a Beat poet trying his hand at music. In fact, Aesop would have been just at home in the 50s in some smoky club in san fran just "rapping" (as they liked to call it) with kerouac and the gang.

[nick.in.oside]

The bottom line:

Its not necessarily him that bugs most people, its his fans. Most people can agree that he's at least somewhat talented...He's a creative writer with a unique delivery. Thats more than you can say for most rappers. But these kids ride his jock so hard its unbelievable. Yeah its easy to concede there will always be a place in hip hop for these kind of artists, but these def jux/mf doom paper thin sheep treat him like the god of all that is good...as if he was the first rapper in the history of life to a) do something unique and b) say something intelligent. And then they go around wearing their dickriding as a badge of honor, thinking that purchasing an aesop rock album some how admits them to this secret fraternity of "underground coolness" and a sense of elitist intellectual snobbery. These are the kind of guys who will claim they love hip hop, but "none of that gangster shit, I only want something with a message." I swear to go none of these jock riders will ever get laid (w/o paying, of course).

Recently he's been bugging me, for two main reasons. 1) He's been picking/producing some straight up garbage beats. 2) His voice has all of a sudden turned real shitty.

I enjoy his first three albums (earthworms, appleseed, labor days), and in the right mood I don't mind the daylight EP, but thats about it. He was pretty good at maintaining a darkish mellow mood, and (especially w/ blockhead on labor days) really thrived at climaxing a song. (my oh my, pharoe monche would be proud). Nowadays he's been letting El P give him too much advice with his work on the boards, and it just doesnt sound very good.

So any negative resoponse garnered by the mention of an aesop rong cd/single/concert is 90% geared at the shittiness of his fanbase rather than any real gripe with the artist.


Oh and one more thing: I hate getting into the Aesop Rock Lyrics Debate, but I'm gonna have to add my two cents on this occasion. It's really hard to argue that he's actually saying anything that is either overly complex in meaning, or that hasn't really been said before, or entirely profound in any way. His subject matter is very basic. The thing that gets people is that he just chooses to say things in an extremely complex and roundabout way. Most of his songs simply deal with his observations of life around him...and he uses an abnormal vocabulary mostly to emphasize the humor/irony/insanity/whatever he finds in these everyday situations. If you'd like, you can compare Labor Days to Eyedea's "First Born", in which Eyedea deals with very heavy/philisophical/ (dare I say) "profound" topics yet presents them in a relatively straightforward manner. IMO, first born is the epitome of what we lovingly (and hatingly, of course) label as Nerd Rap. Labor Days is more along the lines of a Beat poet trying his hand at music. In fact, Aesop would have been just at home in the 50s in some smoky club in san fran just "rapping" (as they liked to call it) with kerouac and the gang.




basically......................

yes.

horrid beats now and his voice went from dark and deep to that nasally offbeat ramble garbage.

[TopherEightyFive]

forgot about float.. which was my fav

someone please break some of these lines down for me since i lack the knowledge.

"These pretty profit grommet teams solidify the clot to slippery city salt piston pump drain
But hold those incredible console with the Russian roulette baboon spin-off"

"And it's, worker zig-zagers versus piggy batch flashers
Training Generation Fallout
Waterfall bricklayer pincushion crawl out"

"Stomach full of halo kibbles"

[SexyOrangutang]

forgot about float.. which was my fav

someone please break some of these lines down for me since i lack the knowledge.

"These pretty profit grommet teams solidify the clot to slippery city salt piston pump drain
But hold those incredible console with the Russian roulette baboon spin-off"

"And it's, worker zig-zagers versus piggy batch flashers
Training Generation Fallout
Waterfall bricklayer pincushion crawl out"

"Stomach full of halo kibbles"

you're missing the point.

go read some kerouac, Ginsberg, corso, whatever...

*PS

Just break it up into bits, then itll become more clear.

[TheadoreStriker]

yeah right,,
arock is tight...basically..compare YOUR rhymes..on a cassette player..(oh sorry..cd player)..rRIGHT next to his....PROLLEM Solved.///..

[Wired]

The bottom line:

Its not necessarily him that bugs most people, its his fans. Most people can agree that he's at least somewhat talented...He's a creative writer with a unique delivery. Thats more than you can say for most rappers. But these kids ride his jock so hard its unbelievable. Yeah its easy to concede there will always be a place in hip hop for these kind of artists, but these def jux/mf doom paper thin sheep treat him like the god of all that is good...as if he was the first rapper in the history of life to a) do something unique and b) say something intelligent. And then they go around wearing their dickriding as a badge of honor, thinking that purchasing an aesop rock album some how admits them to this secret fraternity of "underground coolness" and a sense of elitist intellectual snobbery. These are the kind of guys who will claim they love hip hop, but "none of that gangster shit, I only want something with a message." I swear to go none of these jock riders will ever get laid (w/o paying, of course).

Recently he's been bugging me, for two main reasons. 1) He's been picking/producing some straight up garbage beats. 2) His voice has all of a sudden turned real shitty.

I enjoy his first three albums (earthworms, appleseed, labor days), and in the right mood I don't mind the daylight EP, but thats about it. He was pretty good at maintaining a darkish mellow mood, and (especially w/ blockhead on labor days) really thrived at climaxing a song. (my oh my, pharoe monche would be proud). Nowadays he's been letting El P give him too much advice with his work on the boards, and it just doesnt sound very good.

So any negative resoponse garnered by the mention of an aesop rong cd/single/concert is 90% geared at the shittiness of his fanbase rather than any real gripe with the artist.


Oh and one more thing: I hate getting into the Aesop Rock Lyrics Debate, but I'm gonna have to add my two cents on this occasion. It's really hard to argue that he's actually saying anything that is either overly complex in meaning, or that hasn't really been said before, or entirely profound in any way. His subject matter is very basic. The thing that gets people is that he just chooses to say things in an extremely complex and roundabout way. Most of his songs simply deal with his observations of life around him...and he uses an abnormal vocabulary mostly to emphasize the humor/irony/insanity/whatever he finds in these everyday situations. If you'd like, you can compare Labor Days to Eyedea's "First Born", in which Eyedea deals with very heavy/philisophical/ (dare I say) "profound" topics yet presents them in a relatively straightforward manner. IMO, first born is the epitome of what we lovingly (and hatingly, of course) label as Nerd Rap. Labor Days is more along the lines of a Beat poet trying his hand at music. In fact, Aesop would have been just at home in the 50s in some smoky club in san fran just "rapping" (as they liked to call it) with kerouac and the gang.
Ditto.

But just to sum up:

1. Recent shitty music
2. Backpacker fans
3. Meaningless lyrics
4. Annoying voice

That said, I do like his earlier stuff. Everything after Labor Days is just horrendous though.

[TopherEightyFive]

You dont know me; Im very well read.

Its not like I dont appreciate good diction and literature, its just that i disagree that aesop rock is sayin anything (at least not all of the time). You can give the man a string of random words and if he says them his fan base will swear its deep and cast the non believers as haters and pseudointellectuals.

break those lyrics down for me if you have such a clear understanding.

[SexyOrangutang]

You dont know me; Im very well read.

Its not like I dont appreciate good diction and literature, its just that i disagree that aesop rock is sayin anything (at least not all of the time). You can give the man a string of random words and if he says them his fan base will swear its deep and cast the non believers as haters and pseudointellectuals.

break those lyrics down for me if you have such a clear understanding.

As if my personal interpretation of a randomly selected line really matters in this situation.

Approach it like you would a T.S. Eliot poem...don't worry about trying to figure out the precise meaning or symbolic importance of every single word or phrase. Instead, base your interpretation off of what ever emotions these words conjure up inside of you (this sounds real emo, I realize.) You'll get a pretty good feel of the whole thing if you can recognize a few specific emotions.

(I keep on asking myself as I write this "how is this hip hop? how is this hip hop?")

I'm not gonna risk my e-credibility by sitting here holding your hand and breaking down random aesop rock lyrics. This is something you have to do on your own.

[aueu]

^ your condescending tone is laughable

[twisted_harmonix]

its very true that his lyrics dont really mean shit a lot of the time.

he'll admit that too.

i read some interview where he was like "yeah a lot of these kids think i'm some kind of genious or whatever but i dont know what they're talkin about. i'm not sayin my lyrics dont mean anything, but a lot of times its just stringing random words together"

[rocksanddirt]

heheh you ready? Im'a ghost write for aesop! :p

platypus splash mercury sting hamburger in in sperm blimp retrospection
crack epileptic stepfather villianous vaginal postal erection
tunafish spongecake japanese head cold balls piece of paper
venereal disease laptop 67 mustang lobster windshield scraper

actually, this shits too good for aesop, half of the time that MF dont even ryhme.
music for earthworms was kinda cool.
labor days had some bumpin tracks.
most everything else that came from that guy makes me wanna put a baseball bat to the speaker.

Imagine someone like murs started to rhyme like aesop. He'd be laughed at! (course some of you would worship it and say hes ahead of his time :rolleyes: )

[TopherEightyFive]

As if my personal interpretation of a randomly selected line really matters in this situation.

Approach it like you would a T.S. Eliot poem...don't worry about trying to figure out the precise meaning or symbolic importance of every single word or phrase. Instead, base your interpretation off of what ever emotions these words conjure up inside of you (this sounds real emo, I realize.) You'll get a pretty good feel of the whole thing if you can recognize a few specific emotions.

(I keep on asking myself as I write this "how is this hip hop? how is this hip hop?")

I'm not gonna risk my e-credibility by sitting here holding your hand and breaking down random aesop rock lyrics. This is something you have to do on your own.

I expected a response like this from you. Kudos.

[D.F.A.]

The only track I've heard since Labour Days is Poems 4 Post Modern Decay off of Zion I's True And Livin' anything else sounds like El-P's name is written all over it (which sounds like a cat hitting an MPC).

[rocksanddirt]

The only track I've heard since Labour Days is Poems 4 Post Modern Decay off of Zion I's True And Livin' anything else sounds like El-P's name is written all over it (which sounds like a cat hitting an MPC).
hahaha elp... we grew up in the same area in maine... yet he seems from another planet sometimes.
he works hard on his music though yknow!

[D.F.A.]

hahaha elp... we grew up in the same area in maine... yet he seems from another planet sometimes.
he works hard on his music though yknow!

He might work hard on his music but the talent in his family must of skipped a generation, only cd I can listen to that he produced was Can Ox - Cold Vein

[SexyOrangutang]

^ your condescending tone is laughable

I couldn't think of a better tone for the situation.

[inershun]

Aesop Rock is unique the way I see it - neither wack nor elite. He's that little bleach stain on your shirt sleeve; you either accept it and keep wearing it or take disgust and throw it away/cover it. His Bazooka Tooth persona got me cringing at first but it's a decent offering at most if you give it the time. It gets a little better with the Fast Cars EP but it gets nowhere close to the Labor Days vibe. Seeing him live is coo', but it's nothing too fantastic. If you ask me though, he fits right in with the Def Jux crew.

Lyrics: Random or complex meaning? Mostly random, generally complex.

Do I hate him? No. Can I listen to him? Yes. Is he Def Jux's MVP? Arguably yes, maybe a no.

[baronvonONE]

heheh you ready? Im'a ghost write for aesop! :p

platypus splash mercury sting hamburger in in sperm blimp retrospection
crack epileptic stepfather villianous vaginal postal erection
tunafish spongecake japanese head cold balls piece of paper
venereal disease laptop 67 mustang lobster windshield scraper




aaaaaaaAAAAHHHHAAAAHAHAHAHHAA !!!!!!!

[rocksanddirt]

Robert Langdon?
Please tell me youre not on that da vinci shit. God that book was trash

Aesop Rock is unique the way I see it - neither wack nor elite. He's that little bleach stain on your shirt sleeve; you either accept it and keep wearing it or take disgust and throw it away/cover it. His Bazooka Tooth persona got me cringing at first but it's a decent offering at most if you give it the time. It gets a little better with the Fast Cars EP but it gets nowhere close to the Labor Days vibe. Seeing him live is coo', but it's nothing too fantastic. If you ask me though, he fits right in with the Def Jux crew.

Lyrics: Random or complex meaning? Mostly random, generally complex.

Do I hate him? No. Can I listen to him? Yes. Is he Def Jux's MVP? Arguably yes, maybe a no.

[inershun]

Robert Langdon?
Please tell me youre not on that da vinci shit. God that book was trash

Nah, if you're talking about conspiracy theories - I don't take those seriously. And I take Da Vinci Code as fiction, not propaganda. The story was good if you asked me. Angels & Demons is better in my opinion. I guess if you wanna say something about this, you'd have to start a new thread.

[SexyOrangutang]

^^^no thread jacking is pretty much company policy around here.

proceed.

[Visions99]

he's different...he's gonna have haters and homies

[Tek3030]

my opinion is dude blows.

but I want to know what you guys mean by backpacker fans. I've seen it a few times on this forum and I am lost on that shit.

also while were at it also what the hell is emo rappers. is it emotional rappers.

anyways someone please fill me in.

[SexyOrangutang]

my opinion is dude blows.

but I want to know what you guys mean by backpacker fans. I've seen it a few times on this forum and I am lost on that shit.

also while were at it also what the hell is emo rappers. is it emotional rappers.

anyways someone please fill me in.

http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/backpacker/

http://www.lawrence.com/news/2004/mar/02/lethal_doses/

I remember there was a message board post that floated around to a bunch of sites that was pretty much a step by step how to be a backpacker guide. I'm a little bummed that I couldnt dig that up.

[Nasty]

EMO -

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emo

[Tek3030]

damn thanks guys that clears it up. that description of EMO made me laugh.
So I hate mainstreme rap does this mean I am a backpacker by that definition?

fuck thanks for the article on mac leathal. I'm just getting into this guy I think he has some skills.

[prylwd]

damn thanks guys that clears it up. that description of EMO made me laugh.
So I hate mainstreme rap does this mean I am a backpacker by that definition?

fuck thanks for the article on mac leathal. I'm just getting into this guy I think he has some skills.

My definition of a backpacker does not include some one who hates mainstream. I hate mainstream. I think of a backpacker more as someone who purchases an artist stuff wheather or not they put out a good album. The main reason I don't like mainstream is b/c of the lyrical content. That doesn't mean that if a "good" rapper made it mainstream I wouldn't listen b/c I would. But 99% of mainstream doesn't apeal to me.

[SexyOrangutang]

My definition of a backpacker does not include some one who hates mainstream. I hate mainstream. I think of a backpacker more as someone who purchases an artist stuff wheather or not they put out a good album. The main reason I don't like mainstream is b/c of the lyrical content. That doesn't mean that if a "good" rapper made it mainstream I wouldn't listen b/c I would. But 99% of mainstream doesn't apeal to me.

so we have exhibit A right here...

[TheadoreStriker]

I think of a backpacker more as someone who purchases an artist stuff wheather or not they put out a good album.
I do this..and use a backpack...does this make me a backpaker?

[D.F.A.]

damn thanks guys that clears it up. that description of EMO made me laugh.
So I hate mainstreme rap does this mean I am a backpacker by that definition?

fuck thanks for the article on mac leathal. I'm just getting into this guy I think he has some skills.

His new cds gonna drop on Rhymesayers but no RSE production done on it tho.

[inershun]

Graff writers were the first ones that came up with the "backpacker" term. Does it really need explaining? Spray cans and extra nozzles in backpacks. Since bombing (new term for some I guess?) is apart of Hip-Hop culture and became popular, people saw wearing backpacks as a way of saying "I'm real Hip-Hop, bitch".

Eventually Hip-Hop music got divided into the commercial/underground worlds. The "backpacker" term was now used to define a stubborn fool who thought he/she knew what real Hip-Hop was and disliked the rest or in other words, prejudiced. Can you do the math from here?

Emo Rap is just a recently made up word to differentiate a White cultured Hip-Hop from a Black cultured Hip-Hop. They think it's all based on lyrics (all emotional), but really this term came up from a racial issue. If artists like Slug and the Rhymesayers were Black, I'd bet the word Emo would've never been fused with the word Rap. In this case, it would still be called Nerd Rap which is another shit-on term for 'too much Sci-Fi Fantasy bullshit style' but regardless of nationality. Nerd Rap is like the equivalent of Star Wars fans to Scarface fans.

That's how I document it, but of course, it's all relative son.

[S...]

Graff writers were the first ones that came up with the "backpacker" term. Does it really need explaining? Spray cans and extra nozzles in backpacks. Since bombing (new term for some I guess?) is apart of Hip-Hop culture and became popular, people saw wearing backpacks as a way of saying "I'm real Hip-Hop, bitch".

Eventually Hip-Hop music got divided into the commercial/underground worlds. The "backpacker" term was now used to define a stubborn fool who thought he/she knew what real Hip-Hop was and disliked the rest or in other words, prejudiced. Can you do the math from here?

Emo Rap is just a recently made up word to differentiate a White cultured Hip-Hop from a Black cultured Hip-Hop. They think it's all based on lyrics (all emotional), but really this term came up from a racial issue. If artists like Slug and the Rhymesayers were Black, I'd bet the word Emo would've never been fused with the word Rap. In this case, it would still be called Nerd Rap which is another shit-on term for 'too much Sci-Fi Fantasy bullshit style' but regardless of nationality. Nerd Rap is like the equivalent of Star Wars fans to Scarface fans.

That's how I document it, but of course, it's all relative son.



Do me a favor.... don't start to "drop HipHop knowledge" and then say "spare nozzles"

God damn.........

[inershun]

Do me a favor.... don't start to "drop HipHop knowledge" and then say "spare nozzles"

God damn.........

Hahaha you're right. Correction on my part. Let a nigga type some shit when he's bored man, damn. No one trying to be smart here :eek: .

[Tek3030]

hahaha

I thought it was a good description tho. I new ya meant caps.

[mew10t]

Very entertaining thread thus far.

Yeah, Aesop Rock( along with others like him: Sage Francis) gets props really just for saying "cool" stuff.

I mean, I like how Rock takes clichés and combines them for a new meaning:

"You shoulda' shot yourself in the foot when it was in your mouth."

Because music isn't all about understanding anyways( look at a lot of old school stuff)... so it's okay to like him or any mainstream rapper or the like who does things nonsensical as long as they aren't given high praise for their "lyrical ability."

[tacobandito]

forgot about float.. which was my fav

someone please break some of these lines down for me since i lack the knowledge.

"These pretty profit grommet teams solidify the clot to slippery city salt piston pump drain
But hold those incredible console with the Russian roulette baboon spin-off"

"And it's, worker zig-zagers versus piggy batch flashers
Training Generation Fallout
Waterfall bricklayer pincushion crawl out"

"Stomach full of halo kibbles"

I'm going to take a crack at this, but it may be more obvious with the corrections, and surrounding words:

"Tap water builds character. I irrigate it straight to main line. You want to do the same? Fine. These petty profit grommet teams solidify to clot the slippery city sump piston pump dream. Behold the King Credible. Kind soul with a russian roulette bad mood spin off where every day a thousand strangers pray for empty chambers."

The water is an analogy for authentic and credible street character. The tap water is sort of the blood of the city. And Aesop is claiming to be a credible product of the city.. And yet he's pushed aside by the system that's mainly concerned with profit. (Labor Days was written before Aesop really blew and the album is full of the struggling artist theme.) The next part is a clever bit about how he's usually a nice guy, but you don't want to catch him his random bad moods lol.

"And it's the work of zig-zaggers vs. piggy badge flashers training generation fallout. Waterfall, bricklayer, pincushion crawl out."

At first one might think zig-zaggers refers to pot-smokers (zigzag rolling paper) versus "piggy badge flashers" aka cops.. but I don't think that fits in as well with the theme of the song. Instead I take zig-zaggers to refer to commuters/corporate drones... and he's referring to how the youth generally have limited options of becoming either a corporate drone or a cop (possibly also includes the choice of military) And there's an angst towards this lifestyle that's causing a generational fallout. Bricklayer (manual laborer), pincushion (somebody who gets poked around) - victims of the system crawling out... OK OK not sure what the word waterfall is doing there.. score one word for your random words strung together theory.

"Stomach full of halo kibbles"

I really wonder why you included this. It's probably one of the easiest lines of "Daylight" to digest: Good deeds are good nourishment for the soul!

It's rare that i get the impression that Aesop Rock is just randomly stringing together words, if he's really said he's done that I'd be shocked and amazed at how much meaning they convey. I simply don't believe he does it or has ever claimed he does it. If you have a reference please fill me in.

[demigodh]

People will over analyize anything. Props for attempting to break down the lyrics; I think you had some interesting insights into his intended meaning. As for Aesop Rock being a lyrical genious, he's only good at word play and rhythm of words, certainly not meaning.

Robert Frosts' famous poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" is the epitome over critics and fans overanalyzing. Everyone believed so strongly that it became commonly accepted that it was taught in schools that the poem is about confronting death. Read in that light, the poem is completely logical. Many many years after the poem was written, Frost came out and said that the poem had nothing to do with death but rather was simply the description of a patch of woods on a snowy evening that he thought was beautiful.

Bottom line, Aesop Rock sucks and when I just went through this thread, I realized that it was the biggest copout for (i forget who it was but the champion of Aesop Rock and all things Kerouac) him to not break down the posted lyrics and just claim that it must be done by people for themselves. In my opinion, those lyrics meant nothing but sound cool when strung together.

[tacobandito]

Conveying meaning has been a joy and a struggle for humans for as long as we've tried communicating. The important thing to notice about communication is that it involves two people, the person making the signal and the person consuming it. Usually it doesn't enter the consumer's brain in exactly the same form taht it left the signal maker's brain... and art for a long time has used this to its advantage. Especially in poetry. Clearly Aesop writes in such a way that he also takes advantage of this. Sometimes he'll pour his heart out and it'll fall on deaf ears to some, others may get it... Other times he may have mangled the meaning in interest of rythm and the result is a buncha fanboy's getting inspired with meaning that was never there.

Chances are if you're listening to an Aesop Rock song because it sounds cool not all his lyrics will make much sense at first, but the more you listen to it the funner it is to pick up facets of meaning until at some point the tapestry comes together and reveals a complete picture to feast upon.

The three songs here, I've been listening to since Labor Days came out. Initially I only got bits and pieces of meaning, but as I listened to it a hundred times I got a clear understanding about them all. For example "Battery" is a song about angst.. being an artist juxtaposed with having to make a living and selling out. Not terribly interesting or original, sure... but his style is a fresh look at it. He's clever, cryptic, and funny all the while sounding dope. And that bit about a homeless man with a trumpet is downright poignant. And that works for me. I wouldn't want ALL hip hop to sound like Aes, as it's a bit of a chore to listen to sometimes... but he's right at home with the niche he carved for himself, and it's one that a lot of people enjoy.

So as far as him sucking or not being what other people want him to be? Oh well, a lot of fans like him just how he is. It would be hard to argue that he sucks at the technical aspects of rap... I think anybody who knows anything would agree he's competent and on point. But as for him sucking artisticly.. well that of course is in the eye of the beholder. Van Gough sucked when he was alive, now each of his paintings are worth a fortune... It's all about who can, is willing to, and most importantly who's inspired or moved. Sure, there's nothing wrong with not getting it... but damn it, as an Aes fan there's nothing wrong with getting it either!

I'd also like to point out his narratives like "No Regrets" and "Cook it Up" tend to be easier to get meaning out of at first. But really, his narratives aren't much different than his thematic songs. Once you pick up the theme it kinda ties it all together like the narrative thread does. He's not nearly as abstract and cryptic as he seems on first listen.

[demigodh]

all well and true and I agree with you on almost every point. My only problem is that if a song takes 100 listens before it can be understood, than the meaning is too cryptic. That was the most significant (among many) flaws of The Matrix trilogy. Personally (and I recognize this is just me), I'd rather be able to enjoy the art the first time I hear it as much as the last. Not to say that there isn't value into thinking about and discussing the meaning, i just don't want to have to hear the song twenty times to get the meaning to have my topic for discussion.

[D.F.A.]

all well and true and I agree with you on almost every point. My only problem is that if a song takes 100 listens before it can be understood, than the meaning is too cryptic. That was the most significant (among many) flaws of The Matrix trilogy. Personally (and I recognize this is just me), I'd rather be able to enjoy the art the first time I hear it as much as the last. Not to say that there isn't value into thinking about and discussing the meaning, i just don't want to have to hear the song twenty times to get the meaning to have my topic for discussion.

The machines in the Matrix trilogy are obviously the Zionists of our world.

[cycledelikwon]

Check the shit that the people that dis aesop listen to, and you can feel confident that you are on the right path. Some shit ears only understand cellies and hoopties. Aesop Rock isn't automotive.
e-40, funny. At least talk Rifleman Ellaykhule, not some lame as wanna be mtv bitch.

[twisted_harmonix]

not some lame as wanna be mtv bitch.
u kiddin right? u gotta be kiddin. or you must really not know who 40 is and how long he's been puttin it down. fuckouttahere with that shit. you know nada.

[Wired]

Why is this shit still going?

[mrridley]

Why is this shit still going?

Well it's now official. This is one of the best threads I've ever read. It is the perfect explanation of hip-hop. Every angle on one MC. Especially since it's Aesop...and Aesop ain't here to input....and he's a very bizzare MC...or maybe a very simple one. Who knows? Props to all who responded with intelligent thoughts.

[cycledelikwon]

Just leave it at, anything Def Jux is going to get trashed on this forum no matter what. Check out some of the threads. What kinda cellie you got? What kinda exhaust pipe you driving?

It's a really bad joke. They are living in a material world, and they are material girls.

I listen to the anti-glitter, the player slayers, the shit that isn't for the cheese dicks, or the mtv whoreshacks.

Aesop Rock is one of the best out there, period.

Sucks to always come at YA'LL like this, but you ain't the real with the wanna be pimpin honky talk. Always dissin anything original (just like a red neck, "damn that is strange"). Dig!

Over (your head) and out.

[WesSezSo]

Its simple for me...I don't listen to him due to personal taste. I'd prefer anyones voice spitting lyrics he wrote, anybody except him and all the other deep voiced, lispy rappers out there. The beats aren't bad, thats not the problem...the lyrics, vague and maybe too deep for some, aren't what I have a problem with, it all boils down to not even being able to flow with that voice of his. Its just not what I like to hear in my hiphop music, it makes me cringe. I tried, I've listened to his early work, I've listened to his most recent stuff, its just not for me...But I don't hate hate on him because of it...I'll make jokes here and there about him...but it has nothing to do with who he actually is, as a person, as an artist...because he is a unique individual, he is one of those bizarre emcees...and its love 'em, like 'em or hate 'em. He'll keep doing what he's been doing...and the fact that this many people have responded on the topic with both love and hate...would probably make him smile, because like most artists (or people who consider themselves so) he doesn't care what people think.

[manutebol]

The beats aren't bad, thats not the problem...
yes it is......

[Tek3030]

Its simple for me...I don't listen to him due to personal taste. I'd prefer anyones voice spitting lyrics he wrote, anybody except him and all the other deep voiced, lispy rappers out there. The beats aren't bad, thats not the problem...the lyrics, vague and maybe too deep for some, aren't what I have a problem with, it all boils down to not even being able to flow with that voice of his. Its just not what I like to hear in my hiphop music, it makes me cringe. I tried, I've listened to his early work, I've listened to his most recent stuff, its just not for me...But I don't hate hate on him because of it...I'll make jokes here and there about him...but it has nothing to do with who he actually is, as a person, as an artist...because he is a unique individual, he is one of those bizarre emcees...and its love 'em, like 'em or hate 'em. He'll keep doing what he's been doing...and the fact that this many people have responded on the topic with both love and hate...would probably make him smile, because like most artists (or people who consider themselves so) he doesn't care what people think.
^
l
l
l
TRUTH

Dude just can't flow there for it agitates me.

[demigodh]

Just leave it at, anything Def Jux is going to get trashed on this forum no matter what. Check out some of the threads. What kinda cellie you got? What kinda exhaust pipe you driving?

It's a really bad joke. They are living in a material world, and they are material girls.

I listen to the anti-glitter, the player slayers, the shit that isn't for the cheese dicks, or the mtv whoreshacks.

Aesop Rock is one of the best out there, period.

Sucks to always come at YA'LL like this, but you ain't the real with the wanna be pimpin honky talk. Always dissin anything original (just like a red neck, "damn that is strange"). Dig!

Over (your head) and out.


I guess i didn't realize that one has to like Aesop Rock to know anything about rap. My bad, I take back all my posts.

[verbal kint]

people still listen to aesop rock?

[cycledelikwon]

Fast, cars,danger, fire and knives is fiyah. Pure fiyah.

There is a book that comes along with it. Has all his ryhmes from the past five releases, so suckers can scratch their heads at his lyrics, and go "man this shits weird, bubba. He ain't talkin bout his ride or how his shit don't stink."

Go listen to the latest image, play it out, dated. Burn it out, like that Gnarls Barkley crap, and a million others YA'LL list.

[cdirty]

Fast, cars,danger, fire and knives is fiyah. Pure fiyah.

There is a book that comes along with it. Has all his ryhmes from the past five releases, so suckers can scratch their heads at his lyrics, and go "man this shits weird, bubba. He ain't talkin bout his ride or how his shit don't stink."

Go listen to the latest image, play it out, dated. Burn it out, like that Gnarls Barkley crap, and a million others YA'LL list.

so so angry.

[KBW]

so so angry.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo Underground!!

[verbal kint]

Go listen to the latest image, play it out, dated. Burn it out, like that Gnarls Barkley crap, and a million others YA'LL list.
funny thing is, i bet you'd be bigging up that gnarls barkley crap if they weren't playing "crazy" on the radio.

[cycledelikwon]

So angry. Whose the one jumping down Def Jux every chance they get. So negative. Gotta defend my peeps. Just like you do. It's the nature.

Everyone on that repeat beat song and the pop pop pop pop music. Gnarls is lame. You see i don't have cable with that mtv ish, so the only time i see that bull is when i'm at another persons house for a minute or something. Just heared a lame song every knuckle head can relate to, and had to tell the band wagon to chill. Repeat beat, that danger mouse sucks. i ain't gonna dis Cee-lo (other than Gnarls, the dude can sing)he just ain't my cup.

The album Polarity by Norman (Barfly & Onry) much more of a conceptual album about insanity.

Ohh, and Aesop Rock news i heared last night while listening to cuts of Smoke's new album Bleed from KBOO radio streaming. That Aesop Rock and Onry Ozzborn got something called the Gigantics going on. Fresh.