Aesop Rock
although my affection for his music isn't the same as it was when i was younger, he's responsible for introducing me to most of the alternative artists in hip hop i like now
(skip to 1:10 if the first beat isn't captivating)
His brainiac bad-boy demeanor, and super intricate rhyme flow sounded really cool to me at the time. It was in sharp contrast to everything people would tell me was bad about hip hop, like dumb subject matter or repetitive lyrics.
He also wasn't as self-obsessed and melancholy like the rhymesayer sound, he still had that new york snap in his production and delivery.
I would argue some of those things aren't quite as distinct in his newer music, or maybe i grew out of it, but i still have a fondess for his music in the same way sunny day real estate or even nirvana.
You also have to give him credit for simply writing so much when recently the genre seems to put less emphasis on versatile lyrics/flows
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