The laconic delivery and undeniable chemistry of emcees Vaste Air and Vordul Mega as set to psychotic/futuristic production of El-P is, simply put, the best hip hop album of this decade (of course, IMO). No one else has pinned together such a consistently resilient lyrical exposition, nor has anyone delivered it with such a handsome array of aural paranoia. Simply astounding.
Aesop Rock None Shall Pass (08.2007, Definitive Jux) Verdict = Back To Making the Best Sense Out of Nonsense
For many, Aesop Rock’s 2001 release, Labor Days, was one of the best hip hop records to ever sneak out of the underground. I’m definitely in that crowd. The subsequent years have left admirers scrambling to come to terms with the reality of that album’s singularity. Albums like Labor Days don’t get replicated and that has to be irritating for Aesop. He will now permanently deal with an army of listeners that will constantly beg for his “return to form.” While this has to be annoying, with None Shall Pass, Aesop Rock has finally created an album to appease his carnivorous fans. The album is his first since Labor Days that is once again both lyrically mind boggling and fun. On None Shall Pass, Aesop Rock maintains the title of the weirdest, most awesome lyricist on the underground hip hop landscape. His flow is wholly unique and shows no signs of growing stale, even after so many years. The beauty of None Shall Pass is that it is simply much easier to digest and is a welcome addition to the much beloved emcee’s catalog. Tracks like lead single and album namesake “None Shall Pass” are simply impossible not to repeat. I suspect the track sits right next to “Daylight” as an unsolicited request from overly exited fans at his live shows. This isn’t all though, Aesop has a whole albums worth of consistency here. Additional highlights here include El-P cameo-ed “Guns For the Whole Family,” album opener “Keep Off The Lawn,” and the jazzy, Labor Days era “Bring Back Pluto”. Welcome back to critical acceptance Aesop, maybe by the next album you won’t have to read about Labor Days again.
El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (03.2007, Definitive Jux) Verdict = More polished but just as paranoid.
I don’t know about anyone else, but to me El-P seems to be just about the most intense character in modern music. Everything he touches seems to be infused with a vision of perfection coupled with insanity. All I know is that I would not want to compete with this guy on any terms. I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is certainly no exception to this rule. With this follow up to the nuts incredible Fantastic Damage, El-P continues to pull all the stops. First off, for those unfamiliar El-P means El Producto and what that equates to is insane production. This has always been El-P’s specialty and I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead only ups the ante. It seems that in the last five years since his last full length came out, all the various other production work he has been up to has helped El-P find some chemical that has made his beats somehow more polished and heavy while retaining his signature noisy grit. The bottom line is that El-P is the best producer in the business and I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is the nail in the coffin that is going to secure that title until God decides to start producing hip hop. Next up: lyrical content. El-P is one sick, paranoid, crazy dude and the last seven years of Bush certainly hasn’t helped things. That fact alone makes El-P’s futuristic, political flow as relevant and (un)comfortable as ever. In the end there is one word that can sum up I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, ‘intense.’ This is a rollercoaster ride that you won’t soon forget and an absolute essential for anyone with an inclination towards hip hop.
GOODIES Definitive Jux is making a comeback in Hip Hop. While the rest of the world is clamoring over Kanye and 50 Def Jux has already quietly dropped 2007’s best two hip hop albums. Aesop Rock and El-P have both orchestrated legitimate comebacks in their respective albums. Below are videos from each – hip hop minus the booty shaking and plus FG-pleasing animation. Sucka what? (we are so white…)
El-P "Flyentology" featuring none other than The Trent Reznor
Aesop Rock's "None Shall Pass" paired with the stunning visuals of Jeremy Fish
Cannibal Ox
