Funny thing about Aesop Rock: He's been a huge part of a couple of important and collaborative rap scenes, he's got tons of admirers and collaborators, and yet he always comes off as a solitary figure, a monastic artist who ignores the tides of coolness and continues to whittle away at his own insular ideas. Later this month, Aes Rizzle will release his new album Black Hole Superette, and it's got quite a list of collaborators. People like Armand Hammer, Lupe Fiasco, Open Mike Eagle, and Homeboy Sandman appear on Black Hole Superette, but none of them show up on lead single "Checkers." None of them appear on the new song "Send Help," either. This is an Aesop Rock-only affair.
Aesop Rock produced "Send Help" himself, and you can absolutely tell. It's a got a hazy, loping boom-bap groove that suits Aes' delivery perfectly. He uses that track for the kind of linguistic fireworks that only he can pull off: "At large, from playing Dig Dug at the IHOP/ To undead three-inch punching a pine box/ To Magus Of The Month, three months standing/ In more than magenta, yellow, and cyan ink." Aesop co-directed the "Send Help" video with longtime collaborator El Coro, and it's got him co-starring with his Irish wolfhound. Watch it below.
Black Hole Superette is out 5/30 on Rhymesayers.
