Third Eye Opener: Music Mondays!

Today, it's all about Aesop Rock. Ace Rizzle. The Bazooka Tooth. A Hip Hop Artist in every sense of the term. This dude is incredible. Born Ian Matthias Bavitz and originally from Long Island, New York, Ace's brand or story telling is, to me, delightfully unique. Especially given the banal state of most Hip Hop and Rap today. The first time I heard Aesop put it down, I said out loud, "Thank the Gods. Hip Hop still LIVES." Up until hearing him, I had long feared that the majority of the Rap/Hip Hop community had gone the way of MTV; bunk, lame-ass excuses for "artists", pushing their mediocre rhymes over weak, recycled beats, all the while inadvertantly furthering a capitolist agenda and purposefully perpetuating cheauvinistic and violent lifestyles. And to be clear, in my opinion, there is a distinct difference between Rap and Hip Hop. In the words of KRS One, "Rap is something you do. Hip Hop is something you live." Rappers talk about and are focused upon things. Hip Hop artists speaks and cares about people. When Hip Hop began in the late 70's/early 80's, these guys had something to say. Their social commentary scared the shit out of White America. Then what happened? Producers diluted Hip Hop into Rap and de-clawed it's message into one of nothing but a bunch of posers and corperate puppets. Aesop Rock lives and breathes Hip Hop, and it comes so naturally from him, it's like a breath of fresh air.

He has the ability to tell a tale in a way that it changes meaning almost everytime you hear it. His vocabulary is extensive, so much so, that I would go as far as saying he has the largest vocabulary in use by any musician, living or dead. This guy layers his songs with metaphores inside of metaphores, allegory, moral stories and sometimes just plain fun (this dude's got jokes like a mf!). There's so much ambiguity in his words that their original intent becomes almost irrelevant, leaving enough room for the listener's interpretation as to their meaning. The words themselves almost become irrelevant. To me, Aesop Rock is hands down one of the best lyricists in music history. A true poet.

His beats are rock-fuckin-solid (which he himself produces about 50% of the time. The rest are done by close friends), featuring some of the tastiest grooves and funkiest beats I've ever heard. From his Avant Garde brand of Trip Hop, to the straight up Hip Hop that earned him his well deserved reputation, Aesop Rock delivers. If you like what you hear, please buy his records, they are well worth your hard earned dollars. Enough of my blabbing, I'll let Ace do the talking from hear on. Enjoy.

None Shall Pass: