Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

Who here likes the bizarre? You know, the strange but fascinating. The obscure and out of place. Any takers? Good. . .Glad you stuck around to hear a bit more. Have you heard of Aesop Rock before? You know, The NY cat that always rocks an NY cap? Wait, maybe you know him by having one of the most successful independent e.p./single releases in underground hip hop "Daylight". No, no that's still not it yet is it. Ah, it's that incredible word play guy that sounds nearly foreign tongued with the strange-but-on key vocal delivery that graced the track "labor Days" which appeared on the Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4 Soundtrack. NO? Still not ringing a frickin' bell? Got it, it's his Mtv produced promos for his latest release "
None Shall Pass" showing up between your favorite episodes of Laguna Beach and some "wanna-be a rapper" program. That's him, that's the guy. Aesop Rock. And he's about to blow your mind!
As soon as the first 5 seconds of audio played on this record I knew it was ON! The build up was slicker than Alfred Hitchcock's mug (which appears in the album art). The track is "
keep off the lawn" and I'm pretty sure where the message is aimed. The common trend in hip hop lately is people doing hip hop...that shouldn't be doin' it! And that's exactly what Aesop addresses. With lines like "when they aren't telling stories, they're multiplying grossly on the lawn" and "I mean no disrespect/but you've all outstayed your welcome". The lawn. Exactly the metaphor needed. The real business is going on inside, and you're already starting trouble from a distance. Can this type of "Aesop Tale" teach a lesson as well...???
Standout tracks are abundant. I would be sure to check out the collab with fellow weathermen mates Cage & Breezly Brewin entitled "
Getaway Car" and the Blockhead produced title track "
None Shall Pass" if your reluctant to pick this piece up. The is Aesop's 6th full length release and his 1st since 2003. I'd say it's long awaited. You can't sell a book by it's cover, but in this case, the cover might just sell you. If not, the music will.
Comments ( Displaying 30 of 141)
chouarefrap said:
On March 03 2009 10:26 pm