The Rap & Hip-Hop Recommendation Thread

[Engine]

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

I just always assumed it was a concept album about the rigor and lifelessness of typical working conditions. It melds with some ethereal aesop rock-y perceptions of life but i thought it was all still glued together by the notion that working sucks.

I don't remember the last time i listened to the record but i listened to it a lot.

I like bazooka tooth and agree with your interpretation. It seems more like float. Aesop isn't comfortable, he's stuck in a a society, specifically NY, where babies have guns and cling on to outdated hip hop symbolism, as well as some typical big brother future dystopian stuff. Aesop consumes a lot of psychedelics and tries to balance his "care free"adolescent life with the looming knowledge that its going to not exist very soon.

Well, not to argue but he's in his mid to late 30s and has made a living by rapping since he graduated from college, I think.
But you're right, he's a paranoid guy who righteously hates wage-slavery.
He lives in San Francisco now so life may be a little more relaxed for him.

Whatever his personal situation, I have always looked up to him as a spokesperson for those of us who want more out of life than clock-punching as well as for being a defender of the idea that capable people can make at least a meager living by creating art.

[Mrd00d]

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

what were your favorite bazooka tooth tracks?

Greatest Pac-Man Victory in History - 162

One of the first songs not on Labor Days that really got me into Aesop. Probably my second favorite song next to Battery. Love the all L.S.D. verse. Lazy summer days...

Freeze - 102

No Jumper Cables - 100

We're Famous - 90

Cook It Up - 74
Super Fluke - 73
Easy - 72

11:35 - 64

I used to like this song ^. Now, I'm so tired of it I never want to hear it again. Just about my least favorite Aesop Rock song on the books. Just about.

Bazooka Tooth - 63

NY Electric - 58

Mars Attacks - 54
Kill the Messenger - 52
Babies With Guns - 48

This track finally grew on me. I really really like the lyrics. I like the pokes he takes at gangbangers with crucifix chains and/or Catholic/Christian tattoos.

Limelighters - 38




The best thing about Bazooka Tooth is that he released all the a cappela and instrumentals so that people could easily remix the album.

My Bazooka Tooth remix thread

Originally Posted by Engine

Well, not to argue but he's in his mid to late 30s and has made a living by rapping since he graduated from college, I think.
But you're right, he's a paranoid guy who righteously hates wage-slavery.
He lives in San Francisco now so life may be a little more relaxed for him.

Whatever his personal situation, I have always looked up to him as a spokesperson for those of us who want more out of life than clock-punching as well as for being a defender of the idea that capable people can make at least a meager living by creating art.

Well said

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Engine

Well, not to argue but he's in his mid to late 30s and has made a living by rapping since he graduated from college, I think.
But you're right, he's a paranoid guy who righteously hates wage-slavery.
He lives in San Francisco now so life may be a little more relaxed for him.

Whatever his personal situation, I have always looked up to him as a spokesperson for those of us who want more out of life than clock-punching as well as for being a defender of the idea that capable people can make at least a meager living by creating art.

Actually he worked as a waiter while making the first few records. I'm not sure what his age would be an argument against?

I think his San Francisco transformation may be why i'm so bored by his newer material.

Pretty much any good artist is a spokesperson for life outside of societal confines right?

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

I just always assumed it was a concept album about the rigor and lifelessness of typical working conditions. It melds with some ethereal aesop rock-y perceptions of life but i thought it was all still glued together by the notion that working sucks.

That's very different from my take on it. I've always seen it being simply about work, not as a negative, but just as a general topic ranging from, yes, punching the clock to focusing your energies on your creative work.

[Sparky]

I'm not trying to prove my point incessantly, it's just i really don't have anything else to do today. Of course it's all totally subjective.

But lyrics like

Fumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen.
Pour myself a cup of ambition.
And yawn and stretch, my life is a mess,
And if I never make it home today, God bless.
Fumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen.
Pour myself a cup of ambition.
And yawn and stretch, my life is a mess,
And if I never make it home today, God bless.

I'm still dealing with this mess I'm in.
I've been the object of your ridicule.
You've been a bitch lieutenant.
God, it's the Year of the Underpaid Employee
Spitting forty plus a week
And trying to rape earth in my off time.
You bored dizzy, I can't keep myself busy enough
So you can run, run, run,
And I'ma let you think you won.
EVERYBODY!

Took an early retirement pick a dream
American nightmare hogging the screen

Do you take this makeshift-Candy Land-cold classic-bastard style
To be your lawfully wedded head trip
Doing base throughout sickness, health, electrical storm
Fire, pain, rain, hail, wind, ice, sleet, snow? (Hell no!)

Psuedo bloaters buy them beats till bloated
Happy trail hitchhikers guide to spanning oblivion
Complete with a thankless 9-5 chapter
You can sign your life after the facts
Wicked soldiers pickin with buddy system
Logistic motors like Noah's ark ticket holders, pivot
All in a days breath

Lead me to believe he's isn't coming from an impartial perspective. It's just my perception. On Float he has a lot more clear criticism dealing with working, and that may have skewed how i listened to this.

[Janszoon]

I didn't say an impartial perspective, I said the album focuses on work as a general topic in a variety of ways. "No Regrets", for example, is all about someone's life work, while "9-5er's Anthem" isn't so much anti-work as it is anti-meaningless work—he actually says that pretty explicitly in the closing lyrics of the song.

[Engine]

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

Actually he worked as a waiter while making the first few records. I'm not sure what his age would be an argument against?

I think his San Francisco transformation may be why i'm so bored by his newer material.

Pretty much any good artist is a spokesperson for life outside of societal confines right?

1) His current age plus his success in underground hip-hop = he's a very successful underground hip-hop artist. He's not making a lot of money but he does it anyway. He doesn't wait tables, he pays his rent by making music.

2) You're bored with the latest stuff you've heard? I'm not.

3) Absolutely wrong. Unless you're talking about artists who are very young and willing to subsist on almost no money (like living in a van), most "good" artists work very much within the confines of society and the way that much larger sums of money is normally generated (i.e. an investor pouring lots of ducats into promoting them and selling their merchandise which is the real commodity of commercial musicians. I know I don't need to explain this to you but you brought it up). To reference my point #1, most musicians don't make a reasonably sound living without getting within the confines of commercially successful record labels (i.e. society) even if its a very low-paying underground hip-hop label like Def Jux or Rhymesayers. They all have to make enough money to support themselves somehow. The way small, poor labels do it without wealthy investors? Employ talented artists who will work hard and garner the support of devoted fans. Duh.

Originally Posted by Janszoon

That's very different from my take on it. I've always seen it being simply about work, not as a negative, but just as a general topic ranging from, yes, punching the clock to focusing your energies on your creative work.

I think Aesop Rock and all successful rappers his age (hence the reason I mentioned his age) would agree that making money in their field is hard work. But it is work that they do for their own satisfaction as well as for feeding themselves. As for Aesop Rock, he's definitely against the 9-5 clock punching method of generating income. The exceedingly few rappers who can feed themselves and pay their rent by making $$ from their own heartfelt art obviously work VERY fucking hard to do so.

A$AP Sparky, isn't all of the above obvious?

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I didn't say an impartial perspective, I said the album focuses on work as a general topic in a variety of ways. "No Regrets", for example, is all about someone's life work, while "9-5er's Anthem" isn't so much anti-work as it is anti-meaningless work—he actually says that pretty explicitly in the closing lyrics of the song.

I posted both the closing stanzas of 9-5ers anthem to support my view point, so if you wouldn't mind expressing how you read those lyrics?

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Engine

1) His current age plus his success in underground hip-hop = he's a very successful underground hip-hop artist. He's not making a lot of money but he does it anyway. He doesn't wait tables, he pays his rent by making music.

What was the original point of this? That because you think he never endured a typical job that his album wouldn't be from that perspective?

3) Absolutely wrong. Unless you're talking about artists who are very young and willing to subsist on almost no money (like living in a van), most "good" artists work very much within the confines of society and the way that much larger sums of money is normally generated (i.e. an investor pouring lots of ducats into promoting them and selling their merchandise which is the real commodity of commercial musicians. I know I don't need to explain this to you but you brought it up). To reference my point #1, most musicians don't make a reasonably sound living without getting within the confines of commercially successful record labels (i.e. society) even if its a very low-paying underground hip-hop label like Def Jux or Rhymesayers. They all have to make enough money to support themselves somehow. The way small, poor labels do it without wealthy investors? Employ talented artists who will work hard and garner the support of devoted fans. Duh.

Thankyous sir, quite astonished i must say.

When i said all artists are a spokesperson for a life outside of societal confines(not necessarily living it themselves, but advocating for it) i was addressing this comment specifically, i shoulda made that clearer my bad.

Whatever his personal situation, I have always looked up to him as a spokesperson for those of us who want more out of life than clock-punching as well as for being a defender of the idea that capable people can make at least a meager living by creating art.

I mean that could represent anybody from twizted sister to matisyahu really. I 'm just trying to pick on you for giving aesop some-what i believe to be(!!)-lame praise.

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

I posted both the closing stanzas of 9-5ers anthem to support my view point, so if you wouldn't mind expressing how you read those lyrics?

The lyrics I'm referring to aren't ones you posted. Maybe I'm forgetting where they happen in the song. Anyway, the part I was referring to is this:

We the American working population
Hate the fact that eight hours a day
Is wasted on chasing the dream of someone that isn't us
And we may not hate our jobs
But we hate jobs in general
That don't have to do with fighting our own causes
We the American working population
Hate the nine to five day-in day-out
But we'd rather be supporting ourselves
By being paid to perfect the pasttimes
That we have harbored based solely on the fact
That it makes us smile if it sounds dope

I read this as him expressing a negative opinion about shitty, meaningless work, not work in general. He's saying people should be doing work that means something to them and that makes them happy, as opposed to simply punching the clock at some worthless job. To me it's pretty clearly stated with the lines:

And we may not hate our jobs
But we hate jobs in general
That don't have to do with fighting our own causes