Æsop Rocks

"Sour Grapes, count one's chickens before they are hatched, the lion's share, look before you leap." Ever heard one of these familiar phrases? All have become common vernacular, coined by the wise sage Æsop. Born approximately in 650 b.c. in Greece, Aesop likely spent a life in slavery. He was aquanted with hardship, difficulty, and likely lacked the education to succeed. Traditionally he was extremely ugly and deformed, perhaps leading to the line "every child is beautiful in its mother’s eyes" found in a lesser known work Jupiter and the Monkey.
He is renowned with the best of Greek philosophers, and probably has better name recognition than Socrates or Plato, and is definetly more widely read. My personal favorites are the Lion and the Mouse, followed closely of course by the Hare and the Tortoise. I'm sure all can reminisce about their first time hearing his timeless classics with the clear and simple moral attached. I am grateful for the social lessons available in his fables, and would encourage all to check out a collection of fables and reflect on which morals are most applicable in our day.

A modern day Æsop has been traveling the country and spreading his own moralistic messages. He goes by the logical name of Æsop Rock. I first encountered this modern sage a little over a year ago, and have slowly became more of a supporter of his lyrical sermons.

Ian Matthias Bavitz was born on May 11, 1976 in Long Island, New York. He emerged at the forefront of the underground hip-hop scene in the late 90's, and he continues to produce gritty East Coast style lyrics. As an up-and-coming artist he helped white rap-artists gain respect as a minority in the hip-hop community. After producing a number of edgy, underground albums he decided to move to San Fransisco. New York purists, were distraught, and suspected they'd heard the last of Rock's true style, as West Coast hip-hop is often more upbeat and poppy. In 2007 he released two albums to confirm that he won't change, but that he will evolve with his music. Both of his albums are incredible. Nike asked him to create a 45 minute workout track called All Day, which is fantastic. It's a 45 minute journey through majestic soundscapes, checked occasionaly by some "encouragement" from Rock. I'd reccomend this album to all, as it is lyrically clean and motivating. His other 2007 release, None Shall Pass creates a much more enthralling listening experience. His fast paced lyrical scheme demands concetration and a willingness to listen four or five times to understand what he means. Some people describe his rapping as a "disjointed stream of consciousness", but I don't think that it's merely nonsensical jibberish. When asked about his lyrics he said "It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can’t help but think they simply haven’t listened." I agree of course. I think that may be one reason that I've become so attached to his music, it isn't just a casual listening experience, and if that is what you like, Aesop most likely isn't for you. I also wouldn't recomend him if you have "sensitive" ears, as he can become fairly "expressive". For those of you who are interested, I'd recommend getting your mitts on None Shall Pass, and checking out his video for None Shall Pass and Fast Cars. He also re-released his latest album "None Shall Pass" today, splitting tracks into instrumental and acapella, allowing listeners to greater comprehend his skill as a musician and lyrisist. I'd recommend this album after you are a little more familiar with his style. Anyways, long live Aesop, regardless if you like either of them!