AESOP ROCK

None Shall Pass

2007-10-11

Hip-Hop has come along way. It’s amazing how clever some of these guys can be. Aesop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz), with his rough voice and stream-of-consciousness spitting ability, has brought the cleverness to a whole notha level with None Shall Pass. “Bring Back Pluto” is a perfect example. Aesop sings about his sympathy for the newly demoted planet of Pluto. “Eight planets bullied number nine until he fell.” and the sample used list all the planets, but stops short at Uranus. Aesop seems to be conscience of everything that happens around him. Another album highlight is the call and response track “Dark Heart News” with Aesop bouncing of one Rob Sonic. If the words and themes were not enough, DJ Big Wiz puts to rest any argument that the art of scratching is dead. The backing tracks that Aesop floats over are amazing. The title track has the best groove and hooks of the record, but that doesn’t take away anything from the rest of the album. This combination of lyrics and sonic mastery is a how-to for future hip-hop acts for many years to come.--Tim Warren

Quick Links:

• Aesop Rock myspace