Aesop Rock

Latest Articles

Reveling in Spose's Medium for the masses

C'mon get Happy
Spose will soon release a new album on a major label, Universal Republic. Happy Medium is not it. The answer to the question "Why?" is the subject of another story (conveniently found here ).
By SAM PFEIFLE | January 12, 2011

All in the Fam

The Fameless crew spice up the underground
Halfway through my interview with the Allston-based alt-hop collective Fameless Fam about their upcoming showcase at Wonder Bar this Tuesday, Will from the posse's glitch-minded duo Time Crisis mentions that he went to high school in Pittsburgh with rising rap sensation Wiz Khalifa.
By CHRIS FARAONE | July 02, 2010

Dark Time Sunshine | Vessel

Fake Four (2010)
Although highly conceptual and even tedious at times, this new adventure from Grayskul’s Onry Ozzborn and Portland (Oregon) producer Zavala does not belong in the Emperor’s New Closet with so many comparable alt-rap projects.
By CHRIS FARAONE | April 15, 2010

Beyond Dilla and Dipset

Can hip-hop deliver in 2010?
With a semi-sober face I'll claim that hip-hop in 2010 might deliver more than just posthumous Dilla discs, Dipset mixtapes, and a new ignoramus coke rapper whom critics pretend rhymes in triple-entendres.
By CHRIS FARAONE | December 29, 2009

The other white beat

Four random caucasian MCs better than Asher Roth
In the home of Slaine, Esoteric, Sullee, Bomshot, Lyrical, and about 10,000 other pale MCs who can hang with brothers of all shades and styles, the notion of prolific whiteboys is hardly novel.
By CHRIS FARAONE | July 07, 2009

Awol One + Factor | Owl Hours

Fake Four/Shape Shifters (2009)
Fake Four/Shape Shifters (2009)
By CHRIS FARAONE | June 23, 2009

Awol One + Factor | Owl Hours

Fake Four/Shape Shifters (2009)
Fake Four/Shape Shifters (2009)
By CHRIS FARAONE | June 23, 2009

Joe the rapper

Joe Budden, Freeway, and the enduring authority of street rap
"One thing I've learned is that if you write about reality, you'll never run out of material."
By CHRIS FARAONE | November 17, 2008

Aesop Rock

None Shall Pass | Definitive Jux
Sometimes I don’t have one goddamn clue what misanthropic underground hip-hop king Aesop Rock is talking about.
By RICHARD BECK | August 28, 2007

Most Def

The hip-hop label opens their online store
In a move that’s sure to be copied by other indie labels, the underground hip-hop imprint Definitive Jux recently created what it’s calling “The Pharmacy” or “DJRx,” an on-line store that mimics the amazon.com/iTunes model.
By MATT ASHARE | May 22, 2006