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:

More reviews tagged #Rock

  • reviewed 03/2014

    SILVERSUN PICKUPS
    The Singles Collection

  • reviewed 01/2016

    Murder Party
    Murder Party! EP

  • reviewed 08/2007

    MEMPHIS
    A Little Place in the Wilderness

  • reviewed 06/2011

    CULTS
    Cults

  • reviewed 08/2016

    Matt Brown
    Walk Into The Light

  • reviewed 02/2011

    THE APPLES IN STEREO
    Travelers in Space and Time

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.