Hey, Aesop!

from 2008

Although hip-hop’s roots are deeply settled in the fertile soil of the musical underground, it has divided fans into those who prefer the time-tested style of Biggie and Tupac and those who keep their ears open to definition-defying tracks. Aesop Rock’s lyricism has caused controversy with its overwhelmingly complexity, prompting critics to claim that his words are based on style rather than content. But why would one expect anything less than both style and substance from this former Boston University art student?

Love him or hate his music, Aesop Rock’s carefully fashioned and strange lyrics bend language in ways that might be illegal in some states. In his single “Daylight”, Aesop Rock (born Ian Bavitz) admits, “I did not invent the wheel”, and then subversively adds, “I was the crooked spoke adjacent”. The rolling wheel of his music has evolved since the society-oriented fury of his earlier recordings. Each of Aesop’s tracks is a story that adds layers to his dark urban fantasy. Populated by greedy pigs and washed-out stragglers struggling to find color in the city’s grungy underbelly, the scenarios show the grotesque humor teeming within social hierarchies. Aesop Rock’s latest album, 2007’s “None Shall Pass” on the Definitive Jux label, is A.R at his best, peaking in sketches and writing in images- and earning him recognition as one of the decade’s 100 most innovative artists by betterPropoganda.com. Mother Thunder prods the wordsmith’s unusual brain about writing, growing up, and keeping the beat steady even when life changes.

Mother Thunder: There is a synesthete-like, complex quality to your lyrics, as if you are painting your rhymes. How do you process so many component lines and images into one narrative?

Aesop Rock: I don’t really know! I just overstuff everything– I tend to like it to all unwrap in layers. I’m not into making something that is only worth one spin, and for me, that means really bouncing around off of the words and trying to throw in imagery that best allows someone to get their ear pulled in. The thing that’s always done that for me is hearing how people put their words together, which words sit well next to each other and why, etc.

M.T: Your earlier songs were angry, anti-establishment bombs, now they’re like beautiful, angry storybooks. What changed? Experience? Lifestyle?

A.R: Well, I wouldn’t personally say they were “anti-establishment bombs”, but I definitely did not want to be waking up and giving someone 8 hours of my day. I think I hit a point where I was writing so much about “me, me, me”, and then you hear other music and everyone is just writing about themselves like there’s no other subject in the world. It’s interesting – people always complain about artists losing their edge, or kinda softening up as they get older… not being able to capture that urgency, etc. Meanwhile you got people who were young and active with a million things to feed off, and now they are older and settled and pulling their lives together behind the scenes.
Now, for me personally: Music works best when it’s dark, or has some sort of haunting qualities. I think it would be difficult to make songs only about me for my whole life without losing something. So I tend to let things change. If I need anger in a song, I try to describe an angry scenario. It doesn’t have to be “I’m mad, here is what I’m gonna do”.

M.T: Now, about your collaboration with the excellent group, The Weathermen. You guys are still touring even after the passing of Camu Tao (a member of the band as well as a producer). What does it take to keep a project evolving after it comes so close to shattering?

A.R: We are all close friends who take it all one day at a time.

M.T: You’re married now (to Allyson Baker, most excellent guitarist and musical collaborator) and you’ve moved to San Francisco, city that houses Haight-Ashbury. When your kids are born, could fans expect a psychedelic hip-hop fairytale album? Like an audio version of your and graphic artists Jeremy Fish’s book, “The Next Best Thing”?

A.R: Well, the word ‘psychadelic’ is throwing me off there, but a kid’s story rap album? Who knows, I wouldn’t rule it out. I tend to curse a lot and much of my subject matter is kinda adult-y, so it’d be interesting to try. I could just be true to myself like “Alright you little motherfuckers!!! Let’s rideeeee!!!!”

M.T: You are originally from New York, where the pace of life can swallow you like a wave, while San Francisco is more comfortable and human. I imagine that the tension in your earlier albums like “Float” and “Labor Days” came from the anxious buzz of your environment. How has the move affected your writing?

A.R: I like San Francisco. It does have an interesting vibe that can be conducive for creativity– it’s nice to write in a quiet city.

M.T: I imagine your brain to be 4/5ths creative rhyme making matter, with maybe 1/5th devoted to “sleep” and “eat”. How do you manage to switch that off and speak to normal people?

A.R: I don’t speak to normal people.

MotherThunder

Afterthought: Allyson Baker, Aesop Rock’s wife, is a prolific guitarist. According to her hubby, she has a new project in the works with the bass player from former San Fran band “Parchman Farms”. The new group is called “Dirty Ghosts” and their music will be up on Myspace very soon. Check ‘em out!

by Anya Khalamayzer