Decades into his career, the underground rap mad scientist Aesop Rock has amassed a deep, fascinating catalog. It's still growing. These days, Aesop Rock is deep on his own trip. Every so often, he reemerges with a concept album that's built around some sort of galaxy-brain idea. In 2023, for instance, Aesop dropped Integrated Tech Solutions, which had things to say about humanity's reliance on technology. Now, there's another one on the way, and this one is inspired by the dreamlike state that you can achieve in a late-night visit to a convenience store, where the logos jump right off the packaging into your brain and nothing feels quite real.
Like many of the best Aesop Rock albums, the forthcoming Black Hole Superette is entirely self-produced, though that doesn't mean that it wasn't a collaborative affair. Aesop Rock continues to play a big role in the indie-rap world; he made an impressive showing on clipping.'s recent track "Welcome Home Warrior." Black Hole Superette has guest appearances from Armand Hammer, Lupe Fiasco, Open Mike Eagle, Homeboy Sandman, and Hanni El Khatib. Some of those artists are longtime Aesop collaborators, and others are just the kind of people you can imagine being lifelong Aes fans.
Lead single "Checkers" is an Aesop solo track, though it's got keyboards from Asher Fulero and non-rapping cameos from Homeboy Sandman and Atmosphere's Slug. Musically, it's a spaced-out psychedelic groove with some unexpected guitar crunch. Lyrically, Aesop goes dense and granular while describing a particular mental state: "Pay the man, simultaneously in survival mode and looking like a hundred violations of the fire code." He also uses the term "do the algebralculus," which might be the most Aesop Rock thing I can imagine. The Masters Of The Universe character Trapjaw gets a mention, and that alone is enough to send a middle-aged man like me into Proust mode.
In a press release, Aesop Rock says, "This is about the neighborhood outside your home being the great leveler. You can’t show up feeling one way because the world will show you otherwise." Below, check out director Justin CORO Kaufman's trippy, CGI-heavy "Checkers" video and the Black Hole Superette tracklist.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Secret Knock"
02 "Checkers"
03 "Movie Night"
04 "EWR - Terminal A, Gate 20"
05 "1010Wins" (feat. Armand Hammer)
06 "So Be It" (feat. Open Mike Eagle)
07 "Send Help"
08 "John Something"
09 "Ice Sold Here"
10 "Costco"
11 "Bird School"
12 "Snail Zero"
13 "Charlie Horse" (feat. Lupe Fiasco & Homeboy Sandman)
14 "Steel Wool"
15 "Black Plums"
16 "The Red Phone"
17 "Himalayan Tak Chew"
18 "Unbelievable Shenanigans" (feat. Hanni El Khatib)
Black Hole Superette is out 5/30 on Rhymesayers.
