Artist: Aesop Rock
Album: Labor Days
Label: Definitive Jux
Date Released: September 18th, 2001
Artist Background
Ian Matthias Bavitz was born in Long Island, New York in June of 1976. After graduating high school, he attended Boston University from 1994 to 1998 where he studied visual arts. During his time at BU he met Tony Simon, who would go on to become the legendary producer Blockhead; the two quickly became close friends. At the time, Tony was also an aspiring MC. After meeting Ian, however, he decided to refocus his aspirations towards his production career.
Aesop began his rap career during his college years, releasing his first mixtape Music For Earthworms in 1997. It only sold 200 copies, as each copy was burnt and each cover was cut by Aesop himself. He followed up his underground buzz in 1999 with his Appleseed EP, which featured Blockhead production. It sold a whopping 2,000 units; an impressive feat for an unsigned student recording music in his dorm room.
Shortly after, Aesop was approached by indie label Mush Records for a one album contract. Aesop already had twenty tracks ready for release, so he saw the one album deal with Mush as a way to get his album packaged with color artwork, something he couldn't afford previously. This lead to his debut studio album Float, which was released in 2000. This album was the first stepping stone for Aesop's rap career, as his debut album saw him gain the attention of legendary underground MC El-P, of Company Flow fame. Aesop's publicist at the time, Biz3 began to work with El-P as he was ramping up to launch his own label, Definitive Juxtaposition, also known as Def Jux. Aes had become close friends with Vast Aire through the NY underground show scene, which furthered the connection between himself and El-P. Eventually, El-P asked Aesop to join him on their quest to conquer New York. He brought Blockhead along with him to lay the beats down, and began working on what would become Labor Days.
After being released early to major publications, his sophomore album Labor Days began to receive positive media buzz. At the time, Aesop was still working as a server in a Manhattan diner, when he received a call from El-P in late August, 2001 inviting him on the Definitive Jux "Who Killed The Robots" 2001 North American Tour. The idea of touring and giving up his job was a huge mental undertaking for Aesop, who had recently ended a several year relationship. This culmination of stresses, and the support from his Def Jux family eventually inspired his 2002 hidden track "One of Four", in which he opens the track "In August of 2001 my seemingly splinter-proof brain bone scaffolding exploded…I'd be lying if I said all of this made even the slightest fragment of sense to me/That's real/Simply put, I don't know what happened or what's still happening/I literally feel like I'm teetering on the blunt edge of my sanity".
Aesop did two shows in New York City for the "Who Killed The Robots" tour in early September, before digging through a drawer to find a prescription for antidepressants that had been collecting dust for months, in an last-ditch attempt to give him the edge he needed to continue the tour. As he walked into the pharmacy to hand over the script, he glanced up at the television to witness yet another event which would forever alter his life's perspective. The date was September 11th, 2001, and he was standing approximately 10 blocks from ground zero. Aesop never made it on tour.
One week later, on September 18th, 2001, Labor Days became the second full length album to be released through the Definitive Jux label.
Album Review
Despite being over an hour of music, sitting at 61 minutes spread between 14 tracks, Labor Days does not feel as long as it's runtime implies, thanks to Aesop's meticulous grooming. While the majority of the production is handled by Blockhead, Aesop tasks himself with a handful of beats, as well as Omega One tackling the beat for "Coma". Labor Days consistently pushes the listener forward, in lieu of dragging them along for over an hour; an issue many artists face when attempting an album of this length, largely due to Aesop's stunning technical skill and ability to feel completely at home over any multitude of beat styles and tempos.
Sonically, Blockhead and Aesop's carefully crafted beats take on a subdued, yet crucial, backseat position for this album. The fluttering woodwind melodies of "Daylight", the droning bassline leads of "Coma", and the chanting string sections of "Bent Life" fastidiously set the stage for Aesop's lyrical prowess to shine, while opened flat snares and muted high hat patterns dig the album into a meticulous, marching groove. This slowly driving, yet never faltering production approach is eerily reminiscent of a long day at the office; where monotony is anticipated and dreaded, yet simultaneously found comforting and welcomed. The repetitive, yet undeniably catchy, bassline grooves lull you into a dreary state of unease; where Aesop then unleashes his flurry of intricate rhymes, in which his nasal tone and complex flows abruptly awaken you to the belief that you've uncovered the truth of existence, if just for a brief, fleeting moment, only to be returned to your slumber until the next punchline.
Lyrically, Labor Days exists within the shadows cast by a mega-corporate skyscraper obfuscating your entire field of view; where focusing too much attention on details is remunerated with legal jargon purposefully designed to disorient you, eventually leaving you further away from a clear answer than where you began initially. Aesop spits witty one-liners, sandwiched between brilliant analyses of the corporate wasteland we have been forced to exist within, drenched in metaphor, further layered beneath obscure literature and science fiction references.
Critics of Aesop's work have harped on the fact that his lyrics are dense, some even going as far to say they are nonsensical, referring to his verses as "word soup with no real meaning". While it's easy to dismiss lyrics such as, "Jiggy-jabberjaw vitamin idol and primal rages when bible page verse tidal waves begun, water won" as unintelligible, Aesop has maintained that his lyrics aren't nonsense, he simply wants you to engage in what he's saying. Yes, his lyrics are confusing. This is intentional, and honestly, part of the fun.
Attempting to analyze and fully comprehend every bar and metaphor used in the duration of this album is a fool's errand in every sense of the phrase; quite literally impossible to do. The ambiguity of Aesop's lyrics has always been an integral discussion point surrounding his music, and for good reason. With his breakout record Labor Days, his lyrical obscurity is without question at it's most potent. Throughout the years, Aes has provided varying insights into his writing process and how, or why, he writes the way he does. In a 2003 interview, Aesop commented on the ambiguity of his lyrics on Labor Days.
Interviewer: Well, your lyrics seem pretty unorthodox, even though you mentioned that you're not interested in poetry, they seem put together like poems, they have that same atmosphere of ambiguity and opacity that a lot of poetry has – you know, the tradition in hip hop is to be very clear about what you're saying…
Aesop Rock: Yeah, being very immediate… actually I think that I am immediate, it's just that what's immediate in my life is pretty cryptic, and I really think that that's more real than people who make their stuff more accessible – that stuff's not really realistic to me. Life isn't that easy, and people really don't see it the same way. So, if my shit's considered cryptic, then it can't really get more real. It's what's in my head, and I do my best to transfer what's in my head to my music. It being strange and hard to figure out, is only a fraction of how strange it is in my head, and of how reality is. You can say: 'Johnny got shot on the block', or you can try to decipher the actual feeling behind that, and figure out a way of saying it, which is true to what that really means.
In a 2015 interview on Open Mike Eagle's podcast "Secret Skin", Aes revealed that he wrote a lot of his earlier music with the intention of being as cryptic as possible. He claims that he was working through many personal issues during the time he was writing Labor Days, so to cope he would look inward at his experiences, decipher the truth beneath his emotions, and then intentionally bury that truth beneath multiple layers of deeply coated metaphors; allowing him to get the truth off his chest, while simultaneously removing the layer of accessibility that inherently comes with speaking your truth. It's a writing technique that is used very rarely in the scope of hip-hop, a medium where being direct and braggadocios is not only expected, but lauded. However, to Aesop, he is being more honest and direct than any rapper flexing their status. He knows the meaning behind his bars; it's simply that he's chosen to express them in ways that purposefully diminish their accessibility.
Since he's speaking in such intricacies and his lyrics are so thoroughly coated in metaphors for the duration of Labor Days, Aesop has essentially subverted the need to understand everything he's talking about. I've spent many, many hours reading the lyrics to this album in my quest to further my understanding of it, and there are still plenty of lines that continue to confuse me more with every read through. Due to this, I've found one of the most rewarding things to do while listening is to relax your focus. While this may seem counterintuitive to do with a hyper-conscious rapper, one of the true stand out aspects of Labor Days are Aesop's flows and intricate rhyme schemes.
I find the appeal of Aesop's sound akin as to why people have so heavily gravitated to the new wave of trap, which intentionally puts little emphasis on lyrical content. People like it because it's pleasing to the ears and critical thinking is not required. If you missed what Playboi Carti said on a bar, you haven't really missed anything. The emphasis is on the vibe. The same principle applies to Aesop's lyrics, but on the other side of the spectrum. While he spits puzzling enigmas intended for only himself to solve, Aes further demonstrates his bewildering technical skills by fitting multi-syllable words and complex phrases into up-tempo meters with absolute grace and stunning precision, while simultaneously packing a flurry of internal rhymes into the highly detailed bars; combined with his nasal tone and voice sitting in the upper register, his flows quickly become hypnotizing. Since grasping all the content he spews is not feasible, one of the best things you can do is simply loosen your brain and allow yourself to be berated by a cascade of syllable-dense, technical flows paired with detailed rhyme schemes.
While many rappers find themselves falling into a comfortable flow and re-using it for the duration of their album, an understandable conundrum, Aesop does not allow this to occur on Labor Days. Each track has its own distinct flow, acting as a thumbprint for the song, designed to emphasize certain one-liners and details he wants you to pick up on.
While full comprehension of this album is impossible, listening carefully slowly begins to reveal the two major themes Aesop so delicately approaches throughout the record. Subtly detailing the day-to-day physical struggles associated with being forced to work in the wasteland that is American Capitalism, and the multitude of coping mechanisms we utilize are depicted on tracks like "Labor", "Battery", and "9-5ers Anthem". Simultaneously, and arguably most importantly, Aesop emphasizes the necessity of the never ending struggle to create good art as an act of rebellion against the system which has forced you into a box, acting as "the crooked spoke adjacent", as shown on cuts such as "Save Yourself", "No Regrets", and "Daylight".
Opening with a devastating one-two punch, Labor Days features two of Aesop's biggest commercial successes, "Labor" and "Daylight". The former of which millennial fans will likely remember from the legendary soundtrack of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, a video game which I personally played into the ground as a kid. To say the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series had an impact on my musical taste would be a massive understatement. These games defined my musical taste. Well before I was even remotely interested in hip-hop as a genre, these games were subconsciously laying the foundation for me to (re)-discover the right artists when the time was right.
"Labor" sets the lyrical tone of the album right off the bat, with Aesop posing a rhetorical question:
Who put the monkey wrench in well-oiled perfectionist emblem
Just to watch these monitors spit white noise through your office space
Automater, I infect jolly gene pool descendant clown-clusters
Brushing dust mites off your starving art revolution sound jugglers
These opening 4 bars are truly indicative of the concepts Aesop dives into throughout the album. Take the labor-based system that many of us are forced to exist as cogs within, and destroy it with awakening an art renaissance. This topical concept about the work force is expressed throughout the track with multiple beautiful metaphors, even ending the song on an apt low-note about the necessity to continue working until we reach the grave.
I work on what I love, I work to service all my burdens
And I'll work until this here little flat line closes the curtains
This concept of working for the sake of working is continually tapped on throughout the album, including the following track, "Daylight". This Blockhead produced beat samples 1976's "She Is My Lady" by Eric Gale. Layered atop the string section and opened wooden clap snares rests a flute melody, fluttering over a chopped and screwed version of a rare Digital Underground song, which was only released via a cassette version of their debut album Sex Packets, in which Shock-G shouts, 'YES Y'ALL, AND YOU DON'T STOP, I KEEP ON, 'TILL THE BREAK OF DAWN'. This classic hip-hop phrase from a legendary underground hip-hop act has now found new life, being repurposed into another underground legends smash hit. Blockhead's ability to blend the different aspects of these two songs into a new beat which sound as if they were never meant to be apart is a truly spectacular feat.
As his biggest hit, "Daylight" has cemented itself in Aesop's live catalog forever. This was one of three songs from his earlier work that he performed in early 2017 when I saw him play on his "Hey Kirby" tour. "Daylight" continues on themes about the struggles of people working in today's society, while meanwhile dreaming of the work that people would prefer to do during the time they spend working for someone else. Ending the track with a prophetic line, Aesop again concentrates his brilliance into an amazing quotable:
This cat is askin' if I've seen his bit of lost passion
I told him: "Yeah," but only when I pedaled past him
While Aesop continues to work on what inspires him, he responds to someone stuck in their place asking if he's seen their passion; replying that he has, but only as he continues on his way. This gorgeous metaphor is spit with pure confidence and braggadocio, yet somehow doesn't sound like Aesop is talking down to you. Instead, it inspires you to break out of your place and run after him, in an attempt to see if he can give you further directions.
"Save Yourself" is one of my personal favorite songs off Labor Days. At the time this album was released, one of the major talking points in hip-hop culture revolved around the idea that "hip-hop is dead". Many artists felt that the genre was becoming too commercial and had strayed too far from the gangster roots it originally emerged from. Dance trends became the norm, lyrics were watered down in order to garner radio play, and beats were becoming more glitzy and flashy by the day. Many spoke about how some revivalists were coming to "save hip-hop" from its current state. Aesop sees these complaints as a waste of time. As hip-hop as a genre evolved, there have always been cats making dope stuff. If you don't think so, then you're just not paying attention. The hook to "Save Yourself" acts as a moment for other hip-hop artists to self-reflect, begging the question, "What are you saving?".
It's difficult to relay how absolutely perfect this song is, acting as a wake-up call for whack MCs, without quoting the entire song. In three lines, Aesop constructs a metaphor comparing these haters to the story of Rip Van Winkle, and likens New York City's evolving hip-hop scene to a gauntlet which will end anyone who views themselves as above it. Wondering where he fits within the scope of this ever changing scene, he labels himself a "Jabberwocky Superfly". Referring to the nonsense poem written by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, "Jabberwocky" features a multitude of words which have no meaning in the English language, however while reading the poem, their meanings become evident through context clues and syntax. Superfly refers to the 1972 blaxploitation movie of the same title, essentially designating himself a "nonsensical gangster". This is the perfect description of Aesop and his style, as his lyrics can be interpreted in multiple different ways, intentionally.
This is just me picking out a few of my favorite lines from a single verse on this song. "Save Yourself" is truly one of the best-written and note-worthy tracks from Labor Days. It makes it abundantly obvious that people who believe hip-hop needs saving need to wake up and save themselves; because they're not only the ones who are causing the most damage, they're also the ones who need it the most.
Keep me posted as to when you grasp something mature to sit and sulk about mister
And I'll consider picking up your record
"No Regrets" is an obvious stand-out in the tracklist, as the lone straight forward story-telling track. Focusing on the life story of a woman living in NYC with a passion for visual arts, it's easy to interpret this track at face value. However, learning a bit about Aesop's life allows you to see this story for what it really is: an extension of Aesop's self. As mentioned earlier, he went to college at Boston University to study visual arts; painting and drawing were big focuses during his time at BU. Lucy represents the small piece of himself where he lives the career path he imagined himself living; spending his life dedicated to his dream, eventually being fulfilled enough to leave Earth with a smile.
The song features three verses, each detailing a different time period in Lucy's life. First, as a seven year old child, then as a thirty-seven year old adult, and lastly as an eighty-seven year old on her death bed. The first two verses tell stories of how Lucy has consistently bucked trends and has chosen to focus on her art in lieu of her social life. She ignores school children inviting her to play in order to work on her sidewalk chalk art, and politely declines lunch requests with neighbors in order to work on her charcoal drawings with a simple, "I'm busy, thank you much."
Finally, Lucy is depicted in a senior home, where her arthritis has rendered her unable to create her art. She simply sits alone in her room, staring at her life's work. Before departing her mortal coil, she imparts a small bit of wisdom that she believes to be true with a nurse.
She said, "Look, I've never had a dream in my life
Because a dream is what you want to do, but still haven't pursued
I knew what I wanted, and did it 'till it was done
So I've been the dream that I wanted to be since day one"
This is one of the most profound statements I've heard a rapper depict through their lyrics. It's a truly beautiful sentiment about pursuing your passions and why doing so is so important. If you didn't follow your dreams during your lifetime, at least a little bit, then you will leave this Earth with regrets, something Aesop believes to be a nonstarter.
The consistent themes of working for the man while you would rather be pursuing your passions displayed throughout the album are fully culminated on the second to last track, "9-5ers Anthem". Aesop spits two, hyper-dense verses meticulously detailing what it's like to exist within the nine-to-five work environment; a space where conformity is lauded and your personal identity is stripped away, leaving only a shell of a human intended to be a cog in a machine that creates for others, while you are rewarded only with the bare minimum, as allowed by law.
Sandwiched between Aesop's destruction of our comfortable lifestyle(s) is a chanting chorus that truly encapsulates the concept that he's been attempting to drill into your brain over the past hour. Stating that American's are tired of "chasing the dreams of someone that isn't us", and that while we might not explicitly hate the jobs we have now, we would much rather be working to "perfect the pastimes that we have harbored based solely on the fact that it makes us smile if it sounds dope". Aesop imagines a society where people are free to pursue their passions without the constant need to worry about money. If people could be paid solely to pursue what makes them happy, then not only would we have a more fulfilled society, but we would launch an art renaissance the likes of which the Earth has never seen prior.
Overview
I have spent the past 6 years of my life completely infatuated with this record, listening to it in full at least once a week. Upon my first listen of Labor Days, Aesop's lyrics, while cryptic and intricate were overtly brilliant, combined with the gorgeously composed production from Blockhead and Aesop himself, it became abundantly obvious that I had just experienced a true masterpiece. While this album might seem overwhelming at first, Aesop's hyper dense style rewards you more with each listen, slowly revealing the intricacies behind his lyrical enigmas, while you are simultaneously berated by cascading flows and meticulously groomed production. I quickly became aware of Aesop's critiques of the American labor system, however it took me until now and my 40-some-odd hours spent reading and listening carefully, to fully comprehend the core of the concept he's been attempting to get through to his audience. Yes, Labor Days does focus on the labor itself and the conditions that labor has been subjected to within American Capitalism, however the core concept lies beyond the title. Throughout the album, Aesop is constantly reminding you of the fact that while you waste away behind your computer screen, you could be spending your time and energy creating what brings you joy, and living your life with No Regrets. Aesop's consistent dedication to his art and craft are what truly lies at the core of Labor Days. It's a message that has become more and more potent throughout the past nearly twenty years, as American Capitalism has continued to spiral further and further out of control. Furthermore, the more I revisit this album, the more the idea of pursuing your passions has become deeply ingrained into my psyche. In fact, the 40-some-odd hours I've spent working on this review has forced me to re-evaluate how I spend my time at the job I currently have. I don't love this job, hell I barely even like it. I would much rather be spending the eight hours per day I spend here doing something that I love to do. This is what Aesop wants to see in the world. This is what we should ALL want to see in the world. Labor Days is not just the landmark work from underground hip-hop's most lyrical MC, it's a passion project about convincing society to create their own passion projects.
10/10
Favorite Lyrics
Stood innocent bystand, witness the die-hard fans turn Rip Van
In the poppy fields of N.Y.'s orchestrated brick gauntlet
Now I'm thinking, "Who am I?" Jabberwocky Superfly, bent left
Pushing war without the ten step cushion, and what? (What?)
I plan to hold this B-positive sacred in these golden veins
Until the day I die from grimace overload
It's shock (It's shock)
Treatment offered by the weekend
Dystopia getaway, let's display the sequence, it goes:
One for the heartless thievery turning my guardian angel harpless
And the rest to sweep the mess under the carpet (Under the carpet)
I drag a yellow taxi meter
Behind every measure and charge cats for labeling me shepherd
"That'll be 6.50 plus tip, darling
I take cash, credit, check, money-order, gold and cigarette cartons"
Got caught up in the universe trying to zoom in on stardom
Forgot the passion plus the hatred, both were based in Carbon
Next time you wanna be a hero, try saving something other than hip-hop
And maybe hip-hop'll save you from the pit-stop
- "Save Yourself" - Verse 1
"Look, I've never had a dream in my life
Because a dream is what you wanna do, but still haven't pursued
I knew what I wanted and did it till it was done
So I've been the dream that I wanted to be since day one!"
You won't be laughing when your covered wagons crash
You won't be laughing when the buzzards drag your brother's flags to rags
You won't be laughing when your front lawn is spangled with epitaphs (You won't be laughing!)
Then I'll hang my boots to rest when I'm impressed
So I triple knot 'em and forgot 'em
His origami dream is beautiful
But man, those wings will never leave the ground
Without a feather and a lottery ticket, now settle down
In slid rhythm, fed a cycle bound by dilemma, debt, and vendetta
Escaped briefly back to my apartment to park in front a fan
And reminisce about the day I ran a mile with your heart in my hand
Contestants get the New York home game with real life shoot 'em up-action
Thug, vagrant, yuppie and art freak game piece all included
I told this cat the Earth was flat, he walked 'till his beard grew
Long enough to strangle himself for being stupid
Life treats the peasants like
They tried to fuck his woman while he slept inside
Well they're merely chasing perfectionist emblems
When the clock strikes nine
I'll be waking with the best of routine caffeine team players
For the cycle of it
Under a dusted angel harp string Big Brother is watching
My odometer like buzzard to fallen elk, talking stealth
We got babies, rubber stamps, and briefcase parts
We on some door-to-door now
Order ten dollars or more, we'll shove it down your throat for free
I'll sacrifice my inborn tendencies
For copper pennies for one commanding "Gimme that"
So we can retain baby fat
- "9-5ers Anthem" - Verse 1
Discussion Points
How has this album aged since its release, nearly 20 years ago?
What's your favorite beat?
What's your favorite line (or verse)?
How does this album compare to other Aesop Rock albums?
![[link]](https://i.redd.it/mrvxige7zsv41.jpg){kind=link}
