Aesop Rock: Long Legged Larry

Aesop Rock maintains his reign as King of the Rappers who rap about things outside of the usual status quo, with his latest song, which is about a heroic frog. Long Legged Larry is the eponymous star of the show, as we’re treated to a few tales of his exploits, including his rescue of a tightrope walking poodle. The character was inspired by Aesop’s friend and collaborator, Jeremy Fish (no relation). As well as the single, you can also cop a bunch of accompanying merch, including a plush toy version of Larry. More details here.

Lice: Ask Anyone

Following on from the very sad news of MF DOOM’s passing, the internet was awash with tributes from all walks of the music industry, not just hip hop; a testament to the masked villain’s universal appeal and intrigue. One of the standouts for me has been this joint from Lice – aka Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman – who decided to pay their respects to DOOM with some typically tight bars over one of his most-loved instrumentals. You can hear the results for yourself below and downloads are available via Bandcamp.

Aesop Rock: Coveralls

Coveralls is the latest track to be taken from Aesop Rock’s superb new album, which saw its release a couple of weeks ago. Spirit World Field Guide goes deep, while continuing the introspective themes which have permeated his last few releases.

Aesop Rock: The Gates

Earlier in the week I noticed something was afoot on Aesop Rock’s Instagram account. I actually thought he’d been hacked, as all his posts had been removed and his bio had been replaced with a line of garbled text. But then yesterday, four transmissions appeared which could be interpreted as hinting at the arrival of a new project. And now today, we are blessed with a whole new video, the first to be taken from his forthcoming album. The Gates plays out in classic 80’s sci-fi style, with three kids following a mysterious neon white rabbit that appears in the backyard, before leading them to a book full of oddities, as you will see. The track is produced by Aesop Rock. The album, Spirit World Field Guide, is due for release on 13 November via Rhyemsayers.

Why So Serious?

Credit: Ben Colen

As with every genre, hip hop has always had its tropes and trends; similar themes and subjects have been consistently explored and slapped on wax for the last forty years. But there are some rap songs that have materialised during that time, which have eschewed the more familiar themes and instead taken delight in the whimsical, the weird and the wonderful. See: Laundry by R.A.P. Ferreira, from his excellent Purple Moonlight Pages album, for a recent example.
But it’s Aesop Rock who has been the brains behind a number of my favourites that have emerged over the years, and so below I have outlined six of the best from the Rhymesayers artist. It provides some insight into why he has been one of my favourite rappers for the last 15 years, thanks in part to his ability to rap about any topic and deliver it with that unique command of language he brings to his lyricism.

Felt: Felt 4 U (Stream)

Following on from the surprise arrival of their first single in 11 years, now Felt are back with a whole new album. Felt 4 U is Murs and Slug’s first full-length project since the release of Felt 3 back in 2009, and on it we find the duo reuniting with arguably the most favoured producer from their earlier offerings – Ant. He’s cooked up a batch of beats which draw on his trademarks influences – funk, blues, country – resulting in an album where Ant is very much the driving force, representing a shift in the dynamic from their previous projects. Some superb guest spots too, with Blimes bringing her vocal excellence to the mix, as well as appearances from Felt 1 and 3 producers, The Grouch and Aesop Rock respectively. And finally a feature from Blueprint, but under his singing alias – Shepard Albertson. The whole album is a welcome surprise for fans and critics alike, judging by the initial reaction, and it also serves as a fitting next chapter in the duo’s journey. You can listen to the album in full below and physicals are available via Rhymesayers.

Aesop Rock: Drums On The Wheel + EP Stream

New music here from Aesop Rock, as he lets his latest creation loose into the world. This new EP is actually the soundtrack from a computer game, Freedom Finger, which is made by one of Ace’s old friends, Travil Millard, who reached out to the Rhymesayers artist to ask him to make some original music for the game. He provided six instrumentals, which crop up at various stages throughout the game, but he also decided to make three brand new vocal tracks which would appear later on bonus levels. Now Rhymesayers have issued a vinyl release of the new music, featuring the three new tracks, plus all the original instrumentals. It’s available on limited edition 10″ vinyl, as well as digital, which you can stream below. Physicals and downloads are available via Bandcamp.

Aesop Rock: Rogue Wave

“A little bread, a little circus, it serve as a diversion for devils and death merchants” – and so begins the surprise new single from Aesop Rock, Rogue Wave, which saw its release yesterday. Sadly, the Rhymesayers artist is mourning the loss of a close friend at the moment, so a portion of proceeds from the single’s sales will go to the family of Kurt Hayashi. There are also two portraits of Kurt included in the video, which as you will see, is made up of portraits drawn by Aesop Rock, before being expertly stitched together by Rob Shaw. As well as the single itself, there are also t-shirts and stickers available, plus a limited edition 7″ version. All of which can be found here.

Aesop Rock & Tobacco: Tuesday

I’ve got three fantastic new videos in a row for you today, kicking off with the latest from one of my favourite albums of the year, the weird and wonderful Malibu Ken collaboration from Aesop Rock and TOBACCO. The video contains the condensed life story of a strange mould baby – for want of a better phrase – as Aesop breaks down his unsavoury living arrangements, which certainly ring true with virtually every shared house I lived in during my early 20’s, e.g. “One plate, one fork, itty-bitty lamp/I would offer you a drink, but I literally can’t”. The video was directed by Rob Shaw. Malibu Ken is out now on Rhymesayers.

Blockhead: Free Sweatpants – The Instrumentals (Stream)

At the start of the year we saw the release of an album that will quite easily emerge as one of the strongest projects of 2019, when these 12 months are all done and dusted. For his first producer album, Blockhead amassed an intoxicating brew of instrumentals and vocal tracks, featuring some of the best voices in rap today.
Now we are being treated to the full instrumental release of Free Sweatpants, which is a must for any fans of the NY producer, or simply for fans of first rate beat-making. And as if the opportunity to digest all these gems in their rawest form wasn’t enough to pique your interest, the album also comes with two bonus tracks featuring billy woods, Curly Castro and Aesop Rock. You can listen to this bonus tracks and the rest of the album below, with downloads available via Backwoodz Studioz.