Interview... Aesop Rock

Aesop Rock

Interview Aesop Rock

Words: Ashley Marie Sansotta

His deep, poetic voice seems to twist and turn around every unique beat in his music. That, combined with his rather large vocabulary and complicated lyrics, are some of the things that set Aesop Rock apart from the rest of the world of underground hip-hop.

Now, on the road, promoting his fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass, Aesop Rock talks with me about his life, his projects, and his tour.

REAX: You had a few big life changes before None Shall Pass: you got married and moved clear across the country from your beloved NYC to San Francisco. Being the self-proclaimed introvert that you are, how did you find a way to adjust to a new environment?

Aesop Rock: Well, I get even more of a chance to be introverted now... I don’t know many people in San Francisco, and I keep it that way. I have one or two close friends, my music, and my wife. It’s actually pretty fun. I like not being distracted, and I feel more focused then ever before on what I want out of music, what I think I can do, what I want to do, where I want to take things, etc. it's obviously a little scary being in somewhat unfamiliar waters, but for now – the pros outweigh the cons.

REAX: What kind of an effect did this have on you personally, and how do you think this effected your music on the new album?

AR: I really was just able to spend way more hours on the music. I have a better studio space than I’ve ever had, and the space caters more to really digging in and getting into things. I feel comfortable in my workspace, and I have room to make it even better. I just feel more settled and ready to try shit than ever before.

REAX: I've read that you did a lot of things differently when you created None Shall Pass. What kinds of things did you experiment with when you made the new album?

AR: I guess my studio has expanded a bit – I have more gear, more records, more instruments. I played more live stuff and had other musicians in [the new album] more than ever. I mean, the general approach is always the same, but we really flushed it all out more than ever before. I really spent more time writing and arranging, and making it so that every song stands on its own.

REAX: I'm a huge fan of Jeremy Fish, and I loved the idea of last year's "The Next Best Thing." I'm happy to see that he also did the cover for None Shall Pass. How did your path's cross? What's the story behind the one-cup coffee maker?

AR: When I moved to SF, me and Jeremy had a friend in common. I didn’t know he was a fan of mine, and he didn’t know I was a fan of him. Thru our mutual fan, he expressed interest in working with me on a cartoon pitch he was doing at the time, and he asked if I would be into supplying music. That pitch kinda floated around for a while, but that was the starting point for our friendship. We really just hit it off, and he had similar stories to me. I could relate to his art-world stories, and he to my music-world stories. We also both grew up skating, so that’s a bonding point. The first time he came to my home, I had just gotten a Keurig one cup coffee maker, which he thought was awesome, probably because I was like, “How awesome is this coffee maker?!” We both like coffee. Then, he bought the same machine. Mmmmhhh coffee.

REAX: Will you be working with him in the future?

AR: Most definitely. He did my shirts, tour posters, and yes we will be doing more collaborations with work in the future.

REAX: I know you are a lover of art, and you even went to school for painting. How did you end up in hip-hop?

AR: I always did music as a hobby, while art was my "main" thing. It’s what I went to school for, studied, and I thought it was the field I’d end up in. Music kinda started jockeying for position a little more over time; and at some point, it crossed into the spotlight more. I love(d) both, and would love to pursue both, but right now music is where all of my creative energy goes. I think I have a better grip on what I want to do musically, which makes it more realistic to me. I can identify my vision and plot the best way to chase it. With painting, while I loved it, and studied it for years, I don’t think I had a grip on where I was going. I was sort of just floating, learning, and making shit, but maybe my purpose had been lost along the way. I don’t know, maybe that’s

dumb.

REAX: Do you think you'll ever do your own artwork for future albums?

AR: No.

REAX: The Nike thing you did sounded like such an interesting project. But, I've read that they gave you an extremely short time-frame to submit. How did you approach this project?

AR: Yeah it was offered to me with a deadline 40 days. I pretty much just said “I’ll do it,” hung up the phone, and started making drums. Then I’d play bass lines everyday and just try to find interesting riffs to base the pieces on. I’d play keys, subtly sneak some down low sample work in, and have my wife play a lot of guitar on the parts. It was really like a full time job. I almost didn’t have time to think during the making of it, because I literally could not afford to lose a day. It was very patch-worky. It was fun, but not the ideal circumstances to create music under. Regardless, it was great and kind of a test of whether or not I could pull something like that off.

REAX: You've always been very independent as a musician. Unfortunately, though, I've read a lot of criticism coming from some of your fans who think you sold-out with the whole Nike deal. What do you think of these responses?

AR: I am still a very independent musician. My Nike deal was made with me in complete creative control, and was a more of an artist-friendly deal than any indie label has ever given me. I love working with indie labels just because it seems more DIY. I love that I have built myself into a position where a Nike will approach me to do a one off project like this. It did receive some criticism, as expected, but there was far more positive feedback. I am proud of the work I did for them, I had fun doing it, and I would do it again. That said, it is a very different world from making an “Aesop Rock solo album.” That’s what makes it enjoyable to me. The fact that I have room to play and try these things – based strictly on the independent work I’ve done – and the status I have achieved on my own terms. I like all these projects. I was able to do “The Next Best Thing” book/7" with Jeremy, the Nike project, my new album, some work with the “Wholphin” DVD Magazine distributed by the McSweeney's/Believer/826 Valencia people, some music for a short film made by Jeremy Fish for Element Skateboards, a ton of guest appearances on indie projects, music for some websites, beats for people, etc. All of this in the last year – two years. This is what I do. I love having my hands in a lot of stuff, as long as I am making the creative musical decisions. As for the naysayers... . I guess we can’t all share the same interest in everything.

REAX: How hard is it for you to switch gears from being in the studio to being on tour?

AR: Very. I really would rather be home making more stuff. Touring is fun, I love meeting the fans and supporters, and I feel our current tour is by far the best show I’ve ever put on. But all that said, I really just love to make shit, and its difficult to make shit when I'm on the road performing. It’s a totally different mindset – and really an entirely different world. It’s almost as if the two don’t relate.

REAX: What does your live-set look like for this tour?

AR: I'm really really happy with our set. The show is me, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz. I had my friend, Shaun Roberts, assemble a team to create projected visuals, specifically themed and timed to each song we perform, which is really new to me. There’s a lot of the simple foundation of turntables and mics. But, I feel that – combined with the visuals – it just adds a new energy to the whole thing. And it’s really something that I'm just plain happy about. There's a ton of technical DJ stuff going on, and Wiz is also controlling all of the projections and live effects. We spent a ton of time putting the show together, and I wanted it to be a step up from what I had been doing, but still feel really intimate – as if the crowd was part of the fun and not alienated by some overdone theatrics. I really couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

REAX: What are your plans after touring?

AR: Make more stuff.