“I want people to be pulled into a record rather than be sort of preached…” – Aesop Rock
Like his name would suggest, Aesop Rock is a storyteller. But instead of shrouding lessons on morality within recycled folklore, the hip-hop emcee cuts to the chase, illuminating the human condition through unfettered observations on the strangeness of people and the shape-shifting worlds we inhabit. Born and raised in New York, Aesop has never lacked for subject matter. One could say that the city chooses her storytellers, and not the other way around. Aesop’s refined staccato raps eloquently around even the harshest of big city truths, and when he zigs before he zags, the wordplay is nothing short of spectacular. His detailed, non-linear narratives explore the tension that exists between innocence and the sordid aspects of human nature; the self-inflicted identity crisis that exists when one dabbles in role play – when the virgin taunts the whore, or when the pornographer becomes the ice-cream man. As Aesop puts it, his attraction lies in what happens when “fluffy meets evil.”
Aesop sat down with SuicideGirls to talk about life as an indie-rapper, and about his new full-length album None Shall Pass, a collection of apocalyptic lullabies two years in the making, out August 28 on Definitive Jux.
Read our exclusive interview with Aesop Rock on SuicideGirls.com.
