Aesop Rock Album: “None Shall Pass [Digipak]”

So, to me, it seems that early on in their careers rappers/emcees need to decide if they're going to be class A or class B:

class A releases a couple amazing albums but then becomes artistically spent and sticks around as a hollow shell of their former selves selling albums on reputation and glimpses of their former glory: Nas, Eminem, 50 come to mind.

Then there's class B whom you have to wait ages for new material, but when it finally comes out they continue to amaze: Breeze Brewin, Dr. Dre, El-P.

Then there's Aesop Rock, who's in a class of his own. He doesn't let more than a couple years go between an EP or LP, and seemed to drop amazing versus on everyone else's album in between, and yet with every new release the quality is easily as good as the previous one, if not better. It blows my mind when a rapper is as prolific and inexhaustible as AR is. Aesop doesn't try to draw fake buckets from his empty artist's well, rather I picture his well overflowing nonstop and it's all he can do to attempt to frantically catch even half of it.

Although Blockhead is back I don't really see this as a step backward toward Labor Days and Float like others seem to. Everything is so refined and AR seems so comfortable and at home (almost in an "I'm dope and know it" sort of way) just as he was in Fast Cars and Bazooka.

One nice innovation that worked out splendidly was the live instrumentation including the guitar riffs his wife lays down. As soon as I heard it scorch into the opening track I was like "oh, no you didn't just tastefully share a track w/ block and Aes did you! yes you did!" It works perfectly and it's yet another new take/direction for AR musically.

All in all, the realist in me keeps waiting for Aesop to stop either dropping so frequently or become a hollow shell of his former self, but the fan wanting both quality and quantity has yet to be disappointed. Here's to having our cake and eating it too!

I've only been up on Aesop Rock for a couple of years now, so i cant really front like i know the history of/album progress Aesop has made since he's emerged. What i can tell you is that he is one of the most unique and odd style MC's out there-a true lyrical artist. In this time of uber-materialism, Aesop shuns away from that image,taking the listener down the rabbit hole, then detouring to a world of brain-warped tales and an unusual form of self-examination.

The production on 'None Shall Pass' is dope-the majority being done by his peer, 'Blockhead' as well as some tracks credited to himself as well as Rob Sonic & EL-P. Dont expect any type of 'Hippie-Hop,flower power beats' either...bass heavy, guitar-laced,funkdafied rhythms compliment his tricky wordplay on every track. As i've said before, his lyrics are exclusive only to a mind like his-try following and you'll lose yourself quick, but his timing with the music is on point making for a great track either way. If you're going to start somewhere with Aesop Rock, why not here? 5 outta 5.

This record is in my top 5 favorite records of all time and I owe it to this one alone that I found an appreciation for Hip-Hop.

I've been an Aesop fan for a while now, but they never had any of the albums in the stores I go to, just a divider with his name and a big lot of nothing. I guess it hadn't occurred to me that I could just buy the dang thing online.

It arrived promptly, well packaged with the case and the flip out art for it; CD is in excellent condition. It is now permanently jammed in my car stereo because I wont take it out.

Aesop has been a name mentioned with the best of hip hop artists since joining Def Jux and for good reason. His style is unique and his vocabulary is beyond many of the "masters" of hip hop. When Aesop's fan base started growing, he was teamed with Blockhead who was producing beats for him. When Aesop released Bazooka Tooth many of his fans were puzzled, worried and even disappointed that he had lost his mind. Since Blockhead's production was lacking on the album, people tied the two together. In all honesty, Bazooka Tooth was different indeed, but still featured classic Aesop Rock vocals and lyrics. Fast Cars seemed to continue exploring what Bazooka Tooth started, but was not quite there yet. None Shall Pass is the album that combines the old with the new. This album is consistently more grimy and edgy than Float and Labor Days, but more controlled and steady than Bazooka Tooth.

The opening track kicks us off indicating the album won't just be alive, but too alive. My personal favorite song, 39 Thieves, features Aesop showing off during a break down.

"We're not concerned with the community aloofness

Duke, we're animals, we just go where the most food is

Lower the toast, most formal etiquette is useless

Truth is you're equally expendable if spoonfed

(Money Money)

Money is cool and I'm only human

But they use it as a tool to make the workers feel excluded

Like the shinier the jewel the more exclusive the troop is

Bullets don't take bribes stupid, they shoot s***"

He spits out while his voice and the music fades from one speaker to the other and back. The production on None Shall Pass is new and refreshing and fits nicely allowing Aesop to show his lyrical abilities. This is easily one of the best albums of 2007.