| Aesop Rock | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ian Matthias Bavitz |
| Also known as | A.R., Aes, Aes Rock, Aes Rizzle, Bazooka Tooth |
| Born | June 5, 1976 Syosset, Oyster Bay, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Northport, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop, underground hip hop, indie hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, musician, producer |
| Instruments | synthesizer, keyboard, sequencer, MPC |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Definitive Jux Mush Records Rhymesayers |
| Associated acts | The Weathermen Blockhead Doseone The Orphanage El-P Felt Hail Mary Mallon Two of Every Animal SLUG |
| Website | Official Website |
Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010.[2] The music site betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.[3] He is a member of the groups The Weathermen, Hail Mary Mallon (with Rob Sonic & DJ Big Wiz), and Two Of Every Animal (with Cage).[4][5] Regarding his name, he said: "I acquired the name Aesop from a movie I had acted in with some friends. It was my character's name and it sort of stuck. The rock part came later just from throwing it in rhymes."[6]
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Bavitz was born at Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York and raised in Northport, Long Island, New York to his father Paul and mother Jameija.[7] His mother is Jewish. Ian has two brothers: Chris (born 1975) and Graham (born 1977). Ian, along with his siblings, was raised Catholic but later on in his life became agnostic.[7] Bavitz attended Northport High School in 1990 and graduated in 1994. He married Allyson Baker, guitarist of rock band Parchman Farm in 2005. They now reside in San Francisco, California.
He has tattoos on each forearm. His left arm says the words "Must Not Sleep", and the right says "Must Warn Others," which are quotes inspired by the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Aesop Rock has used these quotes as lyrics in the chorus of his song "Commencement at the Obedience Academy": "Must not sleep; must warn others / Trust blocks creep where the dust storm hovers." He also used them in his song "Antisocial," in the line "Must not sleep; must warn others / I'll tourniquet your turbulence then trample on your stutters."
After graduating from high school Bavitz went off to Massachusetts where he attend Boston University, a private research college. He studied fine arts and eventually acquired his bachelors in 1998.[8] This is where he met his future producer, Blockhead where he too was aspiring to be a emcee until he first met Ian in '94, the one year he attended Boston University. After hearing him freestyle, he decided to put his dreams of rapping aside and focused on producing instead.[9] Blockhead was involved with a crew in New York called The Overground that consisted of him, some of his friends, & Dub-L.[10] This is how Dub became a part of Bavitz music production earlier on in his career. Aesop Rock is on the prestigious B.U. Wall of Fame, along with people like Howard Stern and Bill O’Reilly. He is also part of Boston U's Board of Trustees as well.[11]
As a youth, Ian and his family would usually commute to New York City. This had a great impact on him and the way he viewed the hip-hop culture. Ian began rapping in the early-90's. He states Public Enemy, BDP, KMD, and Run DMC as being his early influences.[6] Bavitz also listened to rock acts such as The Dead Kennedys and Ministry, he was introduced to these groups by his older brother Chris.[12] Ian started to play instruments such as the piano and bass at an early age. He then eventually acquired a sampler.[13]
While attending college, Aesop initially recorded and released two self-financed efforts, Music for Earthworms (1997), a full length featuring underground legend Percee P on two tracks. Bavitz also released a music video to "Abandon All Hope", which was one of the tracks on the CD. The album sold over 300 copies,[12] without any type of promotion or financial backing to speak of, it was success. With the money he made from his previous release he then released his Appleseed EP in 1999 which received critical acclaim in the underground hip-hop circuit. Both of his early records were produced by long-time friend Blockhead, and underground producer Dub-L. He completed these albums while also working as a waiter.
After his breakthrough success in the underground hip-hop & indie rap community he was eventually noticed by the Mush label and obtained his first record deal in 1999, just a year after he graduated from college. Aesop released his first major album, Float (2000), with guest appearances from Vast Aire, Slug, and Dose One. Production was split between Blockhead and Aesop himself, with one track by Omega One. During this time, Aesop worked at a photography gallery.[14] In August 2001 tragedy struck, Bavitz had a nervous breakdown. His song "One of Four" on his Daylight E.P. documents his struggles.[15]
Shortly after releasing Float Aesop Rock signed to Manhattan-based label Definitive Jux (commonly shortened to Def Jux), where he released Labor Days (2001), an album dedicated to the discussion of labor in American society and the concept of "wage slaves". This album was most well known for its single "Daylight." Because of its popularity, Daylight was re-released in 2002 as a 7-track EP, including an "alternative" new version of the song, "Night Light," whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to, and stand in stark opposition to, the original's. The song "Labor" (from Labor Days) was featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, it also was the first album in his catalog to break through the Billboard Charts, peaking at number 15 at the United States Independent Charts giving Aesop Rock more recognition.
Labor Days was followed by Bazooka Tooth in 2003. For the first time, production was mostly handled by Aesop himself, with three tracks from longtime collaborator Blockhead and one from close friend and Definitive Jux label CEO El-P. Guest appearances include Party Fun Action Committee, El-P, and Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and Camp Lo. With this release Aesop hit a higher level of recognition, releasing "No Jumper Cables" as a single and music video, then another single, "Freeze", shortly after. A remix of "No Jumper Cables" was featured on Tony Hawk's Underground 2, furthering Aesop's recognition. In 2004, He released Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth and created a contest in which you had to create a remix of an Aesop Rock song using the a cappellas and instrumentals.
In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP included an 88 page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); later pressings of the album come without the booklet, but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Aesop did less production on the EP: three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. During this time he was asked to join the Weathermen to replace Vast Aire.
Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring his wife Allyson Baker on guitar and scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes."[16]
All Day was followed in August of the same year by Bavitz's fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass (2007). The album also contained original artwork by Jeremy Fish. About Jeremy Fish, Aesop Rock said: "Man that guy is my hero. We have a friend in common who hit me up a while back saying that this guy Jeremy Fish had an opportunity to pitch a cartoon to Disney and wanted me to be involved in the music side. I flipped out cuz I was also a fan of his, and owned some of his work." Aesop Rock also teamed up with Jeremy Fish again in a project called Ghosts of the Barbary Coast. Aesop Rock made a song called Tomorrow Morning, to go along with a slideshow of drawings that Jeremy Fish drew. This was displayed in San Francisco, but was also made available for download online.[17]
When El-P announced that the label, although it will carry on selling its catalog and merchandise, it would be put "on hiatus". Bavitz has since been absent when it came to making any new albums or EPs albeit being featured on other artist records and producing.
In 2009, Aesop Rock produced Felt's third album; Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez. Aesop recently announced via Reddit that he is working on his next solo album, and has a majority of it complete.[18]
On April 20, 2011 it was announced that Rhymesayers Entertainment would release Hail Mary Mallon's debut album Are You Going To Eat That? A music video for their first single off the album Smock was announced that same day.[19]
Aesop Rock is also reportedly working on an album with anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson, famous for being one half of group The Moldy Peaches.[20] The working title for the project is called The Uncluded.[21]
Bavitz's lyrics are generally seen as complex and abstract. Critics state that the use of words can be so detailed that it becomes difficult to determine their originally intended meaning.[22] The interpretation is highly subjective, because the messages conveyed are not always clearly defined. The lyrics are sometimes inspired by events which have occurred in Bavitz's personal life.[23][24]
Questioned about his lyrical style in an interview, Bavitz responded:
It’s probably because it’s not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. 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 and are regurgitating some rumor they’ve heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you’d have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place.[25]
Albums
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EPs
Compilations
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| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | Performer: "Labor" | Video game, Soundtrack only |
| 2003 | Sad Clown Bad Dub IV | Himself – Credited as "Ian Bavitz" | Video documentary with Atmosphere |
| 2004 | Tony Hawk's Underground 2 | Performer: "No Jumper Cables" | Video game, Soundtrack only |
| 2005 | Letter to the President | Himself – Recording Artist | Video documentary |
| The Warriors | Himself | Video game, Additional voices only | |
| Tony Hawk's American Wasteland | Featured In: "Put Your Quarter Up" | Video game, Soundtrack only | |
| MTVU Woodie Awards 2005 | Himself | TV Special, First award show appearance | |
| 2006 | Hip Hop Street Credentials | Himself | Video documentary |
| 2007 | My Shot With... | Himself | Appears in "Bonnaroo" episode. |
| 2008 | Engine Room | Judge | Miscellaneous Crew |
| 2009 | Fight Night Round 4 | Featured In: "The Baskervilles (Amplive Remix) with Tokyo Police Club, and Yak Ballz | Video game, Soundtrack only |
| 2010 | Blacking Up: Hip-Hop's Remix of Race and Identity | Himself | Television documentary |
| Independent Lens | Himself | Episode 218 |
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