Aesop Rock reveal his plans for an upcoming Weathermen album and tour. Weathermen is a super group that includes Aesop Rock and El-P among others.

AESOP ROCK TO TOUR THE STATES IN SUMMER 2008 | AESOP ROCK WITH ROB SONIC AND DJ BIG WIZ BEGIN THEIR NATIONWIDE TOUR THIS AUGUST

DETAILS ON NEW AESOP ROCK ADIDAS SHOE MODEL TO COME

The influential indie rapper Aesop Rock with Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz begin their nationwide tour this August, following up his critically acclaimed release, None Shall Pass; another verbally intricate and classic Aesop Rock album.

In addition to going out live, late summer will see an Adidas show model by Aesop through Upper Playground that is slated for retail sale at the end of July 2008. Details coming soon.

“Aesop Rock introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap.” - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Aesop Rock is indie rap’s surrealist, a spewer and sneerer given to oblique code and artfully jumbled syntax. His voice is a bassy, agile instrument that rhymes ‘evil’ gracefully with ‘amoeba’.” -BLENDER

Tour Dates:
8/15/08 BOSTON, MA THE ROXY
8/16/08 NEW HAVEN, CT TOAD’S PLACE
8/17/08 BROOKLYN, NY MCCARREN POOL
8/19/08 PHILADELPHIA, PA TROCADERO THEATER
8/20/08 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 CLUB
8/22/08 COLUMBUS, OH SKULLY’S
8/23/08 CHICAGO, IL ABBEY PUB
8/25/08 SIOUX FALLS, SD NUTTY’S
8/26/08 DULUTH, MN PIZZA LUCE
9/12/08 POMONA, CA GLASSHOUSE
9/13/08 LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR
9/14/08 LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR
9/15/08 LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR
9/17/08 SAN DIEGO, CA BELLY UP
9/18/08 FRESNO, CA THE EXIT
9/20/08 SAN FRANCISCO, CA TREASURE ISLAND FESTIVAL
9/22/08 BEND, OR DOMINO

AESOP ROCK RELEASES NONE SHALL PASS INSTRUMENTALS, ACAPELLAS, AND LYRICS DIGITAL ONLY RELEASE AVAILABLE JUNE 2nd EXCLUSIVELY AT DEFINITIVEJUX.NET

The renowned independent hip-hop artist Aesop Rock will be releasing the instrumentals and acapellas from None Shall Pass, his critically acclaimed LP of 2007. Available on June 2nd, this release will include a 17 page PDF book with full lyrics from the album paired with stunning photos by Chrissy Piper, making this a must-have for all Aesop fans. Definitive Jux will be the exclusive retailer for this digital-only release on their relaunched website & store, DefinitiveJux.net, aka The Pharmacy.

Press on None Shall Pass:
“Aesop Rock has a voice unlike any other in musicŠPaired with the Long Island rapper’s abstract self-aware lyrics, it makes None Shall Pass a challenging, rewarding head trip.”—SPIN

“Indie Rap’s wordiest wordsmith unleashes another dose of dense, hyper-enunciated rhymes filled with poetic imagery.” - ROLLING STONE

“The undisputed underground hip-hop king.” -SKYSCRAPER

About Aesop Rock:
Responsible for all but revolutionizing the face of underground hip-hop in the early portion of this decade, Aesop Rock has proven that resting on his past laurels is all but forbidden. Aesop Rock has recently collaborated with visual artist Jeremy Fish for a children’s book, scored two short films, and produced a 45-minute workout mix for Nike+, proving his multi-faceted talents for injecting whimsical yet powerful ideas in a variety of mediums. His latest album None Shall Pass (out now on Definitive Jux) has garnered massive critical acclaim.

Aesop Rock MTV’s Artist of the Week!

Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass (Definitive Jux Records)

Release Date: 08/28/07

MTV has selected Aesop Rock as their artist of the week just as the Def Jux rapper kicks off a nationwide tour in support of his new album, None Shall Pass. Tune in or visit MTV’s Buzzworthy to see Aesop’s one of a kind “cable access show” running this week. In the words of MTV, “Watch as the foremost in frowny, political hip-hop gives his deadpan analysis of celebrity news items, Irish dancing, perfect dates and the deliciousness of grapes. And hey, if you hate fun, there’s also a super exclusive interview with Aesop Rock, immediately following the show.”

None Shall Pass, Aesop’s 4th full length album, hit stores on August 28th. AllMusic.com wrote, “the talent, both of Rock and his guests…is impressive, and makes None Shall Pass an album that deserves a lot of attention, both inside and outside the hip hop world.”

Aesop recently took off on his nationwide tour with fellow Jukies Cage, Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify, along with Octopus Project on the Midwest leg and Black Moth Super Rainbow on the West Coast leg. Spin.com caught up with Aesop and his fans at his September 10th show in Washington, DC and wrote, “The Long Island native spent most of the time wrapping his rhymes around each other like rubber bands, though, spinning the minds of everyone trying to keep up while still keeping their hands in the air.”

Listen to Aesop Rock “Citronella” from None Shall Pass (Def Jux)

Listen to Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass” from None Shall Pass (Def Jux)

Listen to the Big Wiz None Shall Pass promo Megamix (non-commercial version)

August 28th marks the release of None Shall Pass, the fourth album from Definitive Jux’s best-selling rapper, Aesop Rock.

Created over a two year period following his last release (Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives EP), None Shall Pass documents not only a vast amount of personal change that Aesop experienced over this time, but deftly depicts scenes and stories relative to all ages of life. The majority of production duties have been handled by Aesop’s longtime partner Blockhead, while label mates El-P and Rob Sonic each make offerings. Aesop himself confidently produces a handful of his own tracks as well. Title track “None Shall Pass” is successfully penetrating into college hip hop and was the #1 most added in May. The video for the track will be available as a pre-release on August 7th.

Aesop Rock will be touring in support of None Shall Pass this fall with Rob Sonic, Blockhead (w/ DJ Signify), Cage, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and The Octopus Project on select dates. DJ Big Wiz will be on turntable duty for Aesop and Rob on all shows.

*Please see below for tour dates

Listen to Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass” from None Shall Pass (Def Jux)

What the press is saying:

“Aesop Rock introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap.” - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Even among the hip-hop heavies who record for his local label, Def Jux, rapper Aesop Rock manages to stand out thanks to a vulnerable storytelling style that’s all too rare among the genre’s tough guys.” - NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“Aesop Rock is indie rap’s surrealist, a spewer and sneerer given to oblique code and artfully jumbled syntax. His voice is a bassy, agile instrument that rhymes ‘evil’ gracefully with ‘amoeba’.” -BLENDER

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

1. Keep Off The Lawn
2. None Shall Pass
3. Catacomb Kids
4. Bring Back Pluto
5. Fumes
6. Getaway Car (feat. Cage and Breeze Brewin)
7. 39 Thieves
8. The Harbor is Yours
9. Citronella
10. Gun For The Whole Family (feat. El-P)
11. Five Fingers
12. No City
13. Dark Heart News (feat. Rob Sonic)
14. Coffee (feat. John Darnielle)

Aesop Rock Tour Dates

07-28 Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
09-06 Portland, OR - MusicFest NW

W/ Cage, Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify:

09-08 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
09-09 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
09-10 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-11 Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theatre

W/ the Octopus Project, Rob Sonic, Blockhead, DJ Big Wiz, DJ Signify:

09-13 Chicago, IL - Metro
09-14 Madison, WI - Barrymore
09-15 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
09-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-18 Detroit, MI - TBA
09-19 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
09-21 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
09-22 Providence, RI - Living Room
09-23 Boston, MA - Middle East
09-25 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
09-26 Burlington, MA - Higher Ground

www.definitivejux.net

www.myspace.com/aesoprockwins

written by Andrew Lunny

Since his first proper release of ‘Appleseed’ (since the earlier ‘Music for Earthworms’ was more of a compilation), Aesop Rock has been recognized as one of the underground’s sharpest emcees. Throughout ‘Appleseed’ and its follow-up full-length, the excellent ‘Float,’ Aesop established a reputation as a lyricist of vast intelligence but formidable abstraction. With last year’s awesome ‘Labor Days’ Aesop, perhaps influenced by his new Def Jux colleagues, worked on more traditional rap skills: brash flows and a more lucid, though still creative, approach to songwriting. The ‘Daylight’ EP pushes this further: taking one of the album’s more approachable songs as its starting-point, its probably his most likeable release yet.

Don’t get me wrong, Aesop’s still Aesop. But Aesop’s five new songs on ‘Daylight’ (discounting ‘Daylight,’ the previously-released ‘Maintenance,’ and Blockhead’s excellent instrumental piece ‘Forest Crunk’) demonstrate a harder, more aggressive style then we’re used to, both in the beats and the rhymes. The disparity is most evident on ‘Nightlight,’ a reinterpretation, more than a remix, of ‘Daylight,’ with a sinister new beat and a cynical line-by-line revision of the original’s hopeful lyrics. Life is a “BI-OTCH” this time instead of a beautiful woman; ‘Nightlight’ emphasizes the bleak reality over the ideal. The twists on each line are sometimes awkward and generally can’t match the original, but as a concept the song is perfectly executed, and a good intro to most of the CD.

Original Article

written by Andrew Lunny

On the back of his two minor, but notary, underground releases (’Music For Earthworms’ and ‘Appleseed’), New York’s finest abstract MC Aesop Rock has finally dropped his full length debut. Marking a dramatic departure from ‘Appleseed’s tight package of eight near flawless songs, ‘Float’ comes twenty tracks deep with a plethora of clever instrumentals and cunning linguistics. With a booming baritone, a flow that knows no fear and a generous collection of alternative quotables, Aesop is the type of MC who could probably produce a classic, paradigm-shifting album. Keeping this in mind, it’s perhaps a bit disappointing that ‘Float’ is merely a great record, not a tremendous one. Nonetheless, any listeners of innovative hip-hop will be highly impressed by ‘Float.’

Unlike most rappers pigeon-holed as “innovative” or “progressive,” Aesop has a strong voice closer to Rock from Heltah Skeltah or Xzibit than Morrissey. No complaints about breath control or flow could be aimed at the exemplary vocalist, who combines this talent with lyrics that’ll have you reaching for the notepad as much as the rewind button. It would be wrong to call a burst of inspiration like “I’m running with these fantastic amalgams / Painting casket boundaries to peers gunning with plastic albums,” exceptional for Aesop Rock, since that’s the quality of every line he spits. All of these great liners are tightly integrated into real songs with real concepts, such as ‘Commencement At The Obedience Academy,’ the source of the quote above, which uses a variety of creative metaphors to outline Aesop’s struggle for individuality and ‘6B Panorama,’ a literal observation of the New York streets in front of our talented narrator.

Original Article

conducted by Alex Goldberg

MVRemix: Introduce yourself. How are you feeling these days? What have you been up to lately?

Aesop Rock: I’m Aesop rock, I’m feeling okay. I recently relocated to San Francisco. I’m working on music. I got married and my wife had to move, it was easier to relocate.

MVRemix: Do you miss New York?

Aesop Rock: I do miss New York. You always kind of do that thing in your head where you can go and make an album somewhere weird, I always thought it would be Africa, but San Francisco will have to do [laughs].

Original Article

conducted by Saadiq

MVRemix: Why is Hip Hop production is general so lame now? Why have people stopped putting in the effort to actually put some arrangement into their songs? These days everything on the independent scene sounds the same with tracks being reduced to a repetitive loop that stays the same for 5 minutes as opposed to something that is vaguely enjoyable to listen to.

Aesop Rock: Yeah a lot of shit is boring now. We try to make shit change a lot. Even if there is a main loop a beat has to have breaks, different instruments, etc. Its got to build and relax in order to make a complete song. I like loops, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it works. I think the main problem today is too many cats try to compose shit with keyboards and such without knowing how to play instruments. They end up with some boring ass composition. Kids should stick to sampling more.

MVRemix: These days it seems that everyone who makes Hip Hop seems to be just into Hip Hop and nothing else. Are you inspired by other types of art like literature, cinema or other forms of music?

Aesop Rock: I went to school for painting. I like artwork. I love movies too. It all seeps in somehow whether I want it to or not. I don’t read that much, but I guess I should. I have reached a point where I don’t have enough time to explore new music as much as I want to, but I can appreciate any type of music if it’s dope. Except country music. That shit is never dope.

Original Article

Aesop Rock EMBARKS ON EXTENSIVE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH ROB SONIC AND DJ BIG WIZ PERFORMING ON ALL DATES, CAGE ON SELECT DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM NONE SHALL PASS, OUT AUGUST 28TH ON DEFINITIVE JUX

The illustrious and prolific Definitive Jux artist Aesop Rock will be touring North America this fall with Rob Sonic, Blockhead (w/ DJ Signify), Cage, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and The Octopus Project on select dates in support of his new album, None Shall Pass. DJ Big Wiz will be on turntable duty for Aesop and Rob on all shows. Dates are listed below, with interviews, photos, and music available upon request.

Responsible for all but revolutionizing the entire face of underground hip-hop in the early portion of this decade with a slew of potent and influential releases such as 2000’s Float LP, 2001’s monumental Labor Days LP, and 2003’s Bazooka Tooth to his most recent EP/book, 2005’s Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives, Aesop Rock (aka Ian Bavitz) has proven that resting on his past laurels is all but forbidden. In the last year alone, Aesop has released a 45-minute workout mix for Nike+, a short story in collaboration with visual artist Jeremy Fish, and scored music for two short films. 2007 finds Aesop delivering his next full length album, the highly anticipated None Shall Pass on Definitive Jux.

press on Aesop Rock:
“Aesop Rock introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap.” - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Even among the hip-hop heavies who record for his local label, Def Jux, rapper Aesop Rock manages to stand out thanks to a vulnerable storytelling style that’s all too rare among the genre’s tough guys.” - NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“Aesop Rock is indie rap’s surrealist, a spewer and sneerer given to oblique code and artfully jumbled syntax. His voice is a bassy, agile instrument that rhymes ‘evil’ gracefully with ‘amoeba’.” -BLENDER

upcoming tour dates:
7/28/07 SEATTLE, WA CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY
9/6/07 PORTLAND, OR NORTHWEST MUSIC FESTIVAL

w/ Cage and Blockhead:
9/8/07 PHILADELPHIA, PA STARLIGHT BALLROOM
9/9/07 NEW YORK, NY IRVING PLAZA
9/10/07 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 CLUB
9/11/07 PITTSBURGH, PA REX THEATRE

w/ The Octopus Project and Blockhead:
9/13/07 CHICAGO, IL METRO
9/14/07 MADISON, WI BARRYMORE
9/15/07 MILWAUKEE, WI PABST THEATRE
9/16/07 MINNEAPOLIS, MN FIRST AVENUE
9/18/07 DETROIT, MI MAGIC STICK
9/19/07 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP
9/21/07 BALTIMORE, MD OTTOBAR
9/22/07 PROVIDENCE, RI LIVING ROOM
9/23/07 BOSTON, MA MIDDLE EAST
9/25/07 NORTHAMPTON, MA IRON HORSE
9/26/07 BURLINGTON, VT HIGHER GROUND

w/ Black Moth Super Rainbow and Blockhead:
10/10/07 SAN FRANCISCO, CA FILLMORE
10/12/07 LOS ANGELES, CA HENRY FONDA THEATRE
10/13/07 PHOENIX, AZ CLUBHOUSE
10/15/07 ALBUQUERQUE, NM SUNSHINE THEATRE
10/16/07 DURANGO, CO ABBEY THEATRE
10/18/07 DENVER, CO CERVANTES
10/19/07 BOULDER, CO FOX THEATRE
10/20/07 FT. COLLINS, CO AGGIE THEATRE
10/22/07 SALT LAKE CITY, UT IN THE VENUE
10/25/07 PORTLAND, OR WONDER BALLROOM
10/26/07 VANCOUVER, BC COMMODORE
10/27/07 BELLINGHAM, WA NIGHTLIGHT
10/30/07 EUGENE, OR WOW HALL
11/07/07 ASHEVILLE, NC ORANGE PEEL
11/9/07 ORLANDO, FL CLUB FIRESTONE
11/10/07 MIAMI, FL STUDIO A
11/12/07 NEW ORLEANS, LA HOUSE OF BLUES
11/13/07 BATON ROUGE, LA SPANISH MOON
11/15/07 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT
11/16/07 HOUSTON, TX WAREHOUSE LIVE
11/17/07 AUSTIN, TX EMOS
11/19/07 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT IN
11/20/07 ATLANTA, GA MJQ