Music Review
Float, by Aesop Rock
Now onto the music! I’m already late on writing this so unfortunately it won’t be as long as originally intended, thanks to my negligence. Next weeks will go more in depth, but without further ado let’s get into this week’s pick, the LP “Float”, released on November 5th, 2000 by rapper Aesop Rock on the underground label Mush Records. Aesop Rock has been an artist I’ve only recently been getting into, and i’ve really enjoyed his albums “Labor Days” and “Bazooka Tooth”, both released on Definitive Jux, as well as his newer stuff like “The Impossible Kid”. I am still digging through his discography and haven’t heard every album yet, but I decided to start at “Float” because I thought it was his first full length (I was unaware that he actually dropped his first album in 1997, called “music for Earthworms”, which is unfortunately not available on streaming services.). Overall, while I found it hard to follow at certain points on my initial listens, I did like this project a lot. Aesop’s unorthodox style is one of my favorites in Hip-Hop right up there with MF DOOM (they are my top 2 although I can’t really decide who I think is better). His lyrical skills are impressive, but to some they might come off as confusing. Aesop is an artist that demands you’re full attention in order to understand what he is saying. I often found myself rewinding constantly trying to understand every bar, which proved to be rather difficult at points due to how complex his lyrics are. Although wordy and hard to follow at points, his message is still apparent and I enjoy the topics he raps about, which range from city life, religion, morality, and dealing with the hardships of life. The beats, produced by Aesop, Blockhead and Omega One, are all pretty good, although I wasn’t crazy about the beat on “Garbage” at first and I’m still not crazy about the beat on “Prosperity. The songs I enjoyed the most on this album have to be “Commencement at the Obedience Academy”, which is probably my favorite song on the whole album due to its crazy production and intricate lyrics about conformity, and “Attention Span”, featuring Cannibal Ox member Vast Aire, who does not disappoint on his feature & actually steals the show in my opinion, with lyrics such as: “I told you my poetry sponsors Gillette/Now you standing there wit razors in your head like barrettes”. The other features by Slug and Doseone on the songs “I’ll Be OK” and “Drawbridge” are also very good in my opinion. In conclusion, Aesop Rock’s album “Float” is a worthwhile listen if you are interested in lyrical rap. I give this LP an A-Tier ranking, which is about a 7 or 8 out of 10.
Outro
That is going to conclude this weeks installment of the Kryptid Chronicles, I hope you guys enjoyed. This was fun to make although I got a little stressed because I’m releasing it late due to my own procrastination. I will be more on top of things next week and will get you the third installment on time. Anyways, thanks for reading, and if you haven’t already, go check out “Kryptid Chronicles REBORN #2”, which is out now on my YouTube and SoundCloud. Bye!