Most of my conversations about Aesop Rock go a little something like this:
“Hey, have you heard the new Aesop Rock?”
Most of my conversations about Aesop Rock go a little something like this:
“Hey, have you heard the new Aesop Rock?”
“Yea A$ap Rocky, that dude that raps about illuminati, drugs and fashion.”
“No no… Aesop Rock! That dude that raps about homemade mummies, seppuku and epitaphs.”
“uhh…What? Nah never heard of him.”
A$ap Rocky and Aesop Rock may be rappers with similar names but their styles couldn’t be more different. In fact, Aesop would probably scoff at the pseudo-thug mentality of a group like A$ap Mob but that’s beside the point. Aesop Rock’s latest album The Impossible Kid is now streaming on youtube and with each listen I became more compelled to write about it.
The Impossible Kid is Aesop’s 7th solo album, following up 2012’s excellent Skelethon, which ended this enigmatic rapper’s hiatus from the scene. A lot has changed over the years for Aesop (Ian Bavitz). While typically cryptic and mysterious, on The Impossible Kid Aes is uncharacteristically open about his life experiences. Songs about coming to terms with self-consciousness, reminiscing about childhood and getting a pet cat as a coping mechanism per recommendations from a shrink.
Stylistically it’s the same Aesop Rock many people know and love but there’s no dispute that The Impossible Kid is his most mature and compelling effort to date.
Fans of Aesop will be familiar with his barrage of verbal imagery and massive vocabulary. Even if you’re not a fan of his nerdcore rap style, it’s hard to argue against Aes being one of the most technically skilled rappers of our time. His highly conceptual approach to lyrical content, dexterous flow and off-the-wall creativity pushes the envelope of rap with every verse.
There’s a few tracks on this record where we see Aesop set a precedent for lyrical storytelling. For example, the track “Blood Sandwhich” is a snapshot of Aes and his brothers at a certain time and place in their childhood with some of the most potent verses on the album.
He describes his brother buying concert tickets to see Ministry despite their mother not permitting them to go see the show. Aes raps: Simply, “You will not be going to the show and that’s final!”/What occurred next were the top of the lungs of a son who unjustly had lost what he loved/In a moment that would transcend anger to high art/Said, “This is something I am willing to die for!”/Can you even imagine a death in the fam from industrial fandom?/ Anyway, no body count no concert and Chris kicked rocks in his mismatched Converse”
In a world where rappers are constantly gloating, Aes does the opposite.
He employs his intricate dictation to self deprecate, make social commentary, but also reach introspective catharsis. On the track “Lazy Eye” he raps, “Before climbing douchebag mountain, I was skate or die/Started eatin’ kale and came to terms with my lazy eye/Puttin’ on the yoga lady, cuttin’ off the cable guy/Whistle while you’re waiting for your condition to stabilize”
Aesop continues to rattle off experiences through stages of his life then reaches to hook to say: “Act natural, whatever that means for you.” While that notion might seem lethargic, it’s oddly comforting in the context of Aesop’s painfully honest storytelling.
The lead single “Rings” is a perfect example of Aesop’s deeply relatable introspection. On this track he painfully reflects his loss of interest in his hobbies; in this case drawing. Aes spits, “Used to draw/ hard to admit that I used to draw.” While Aes may not be the illustrator he wanted to be, he paints a vivid picture with his words. “Natural light on a human face/Stenciled fire on his roommate’s bass/It was blooming addiction/A miss and a push and a pigment/Book like a tattooed pigskin, look/Pinhead kids intermittent/Drank Kool-Aid from a tube of acrylic/And I grew up in a linseed oil over linen/Joy to the poison, voice in the resin/Capture a map of the gesture/Back up, add a little accurate fat to the figure/Redo that, move that inwards/Zinc-white lightning shoots from his fingers/Studios drone with allusions of tinctures.
While his lyrics are as strong as ever, it would be a crime not to mention the instrumentals.
The beats here are reminiscent of old school hip-hop with a lot of “Boom” “Clap” and even vinyl scratching on many tracks. Aesop’s production is energetic and varied. With Aes behind production, his personality and style bleeds through every aspect of the music. There’s an obvious respect for the craft with a sound that is steeped in hip-hop culture but also a conscious effort to create something uniquely Aesop.
The Impossible Kid see’s Aesop Rock lift the veil of mystery that sometimes surrounds his character while still maintaining his hyper-complex rapping style. If you’re a hip-hop or rap fan, don’t let The Impossible Kid slip by you.
