Music Banter - View Single Post

14232949 · 12-30-2012, 07:30 PM

I was thinking about this guy the other day and why people hold him in such high regard.

Everyone always talks about the lyrics. Sure the guy has probably spent a lot of time delving deep into the Oxford dictionary but when your subject matter is bland or downright ridiculous ( I believe he has a track on Skelethon about being a kid and not wanting to eat his veg) then no amount of juxtaposition can really make you interesting.

And to me, he's not. Never before has an MC been so devoid of emotional delivery, Aesop seems reluctant to break from giving every verse in the same monotonic and monotonous manner. And that's all he is: verses. Guy cannot write a hook. And you cannot succeed in rap without being able to crack the difficult art of hook writing.

Mainstream rap artists like 50 Cent can attribute a large part of their success to having an ear for beats and being great hook writers.
What's the point in being able to perform a complicated reversal manoeuvre when you can't drive in a straight line?
I mean why try and go for the advanced arts when you can't get the basics right?

Aesop Rock seems steeped in pretension, his Last FM fans (Deciphering Aesop Rock) are never slow to say 'his lyrics are cryptic, you have to listen really hard and try to comprehend his words' well last time I checked Mr. Rock wasn't a prophet or some sort of divine being that his hyperbole should mean that much to me that I'd have to sieve through the Da Vinci Code in order to find something Rick Ross says much more clearly.

I can't see the appeal in this guy. He obviously tries to alienate listeners by trying to live vicariously through The Riddler with his lyrics appealing to people who obviously want to listen to this guy just because he doesn't embrace 'mainstream' ideologies. Well here's a newsflash Aesop, embrace them because you're running out of ideas!
Why people would dedicate so much time in trying to decipher what he's saying rather than just listen to something melody driven, or less chauvinistic stumps me.
He doesn't want to attract the mainstream attention and he seems perfectly content to sit in his cocoon and not try and change from one album to the next, try new things or try to diversify. Seriously, all of his records sound the same. Yet his fans always back him like he's Jesus Christ himself.

Aesop knows he doesn't have to try particularly hard because his followers will lap up anything he puts out there and herald it as masterful when in my opinion it's dull and overly convulated.

He sounds like an android or TalkMe*. His apparent 'amazing' lyricism does nothing for me. I do not relate to Aesop Rock. His words do not touch any of my emotions, I don't find them to be particularly witty or insightful.
Sure I could slug a few big words into conversation and look all smarmy because of that but I feel the people that do that, do so because they are trying to make the other person look less intelligent which is a bit of a dickish thing to do.

Now I know you guys will come back with your usual retorts of 'omg manky, you're so wrong. you could not be more wrong. you like kendrick lemar, you don't know what you're talking about' so I will state I am just airing my opinion on Aesop Rock, and I am doing so to find out why you guys like him so much.
Surely it's not because his music demands you go through it with a fine tooth comb and microscope in the hope of finding a clever bit of wordplay? If it is, why not just learn Arabic and translate the Qur'an
I'm just saying as a hip-hop fan, I don't understand why this guy makes it his mission to alienate me. I'd like to like him, but he's not exactly accessible.

Also, if you're going to reply saying his lyrics are good, etc. That too is an opinion. It is your opinion that said lyrics are in fact 'good'

* A TalkMe is an application that my friends and I used in like 2nd year Graphic Communication at High School in which you would insert writing and the robotic voice would mundanely read it back to you. Hilarious for outing the sexuality of your classmates when you were 13.

12-30-2012, 07:30 PM	#128 (permalink)
14232949 The Big Dog Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,989	I was thinking about this guy the other day and why people hold him in such high regard. Everyone always talks about the lyrics. Sure the guy has probably spent a lot of time delving deep into the Oxford dictionary but when your subject matter is bland or downright ridiculous ( I believe he has a track on Skelethon about being a kid and not wanting to eat his veg) then no amount of juxtaposition can really make you interesting. And to me, he's not. Never before has an MC been so devoid of emotional delivery, Aesop seems reluctant to break from giving every verse in the same monotonic and monotonous manner. And that's all he is: verses. Guy cannot write a hook. And you cannot succeed in rap without being able to crack the difficult art of hook writing. Mainstream rap artists like 50 Cent can attribute a large part of their success to having an ear for beats and being great hook writers. What's the point in being able to perform a complicated reversal manoeuvre when you can't drive in a straight line? I mean why try and go for the advanced arts when you can't get the basics right? Aesop Rock seems steeped in pretension, his Last FM fans (Deciphering Aesop Rock) are never slow to say 'his lyrics are cryptic, you have to listen really hard and try to comprehend his words' well last time I checked Mr. Rock wasn't a prophet or some sort of divine being that his hyperbole should mean that much to me that I'd have to sieve through the Da Vinci Code in order to find something Rick Ross says much more clearly. I can't see the appeal in this guy. He obviously tries to alienate listeners by trying to live vicariously through The Riddler with his lyrics appealing to people who obviously want to listen to this guy just because he doesn't embrace 'mainstream' ideologies. Well here's a newsflash Aesop, embrace them because you're running out of ideas! Why people would dedicate so much time in trying to decipher what he's saying rather than just listen to something melody driven, or less chauvinistic stumps me. He doesn't want to attract the mainstream attention and he seems perfectly content to sit in his cocoon and not try and change from one album to the next, try new things or try to diversify. Seriously, all of his records sound the same. Yet his fans always back him like he's Jesus Christ himself. Aesop knows he doesn't have to try particularly hard because his followers will lap up anything he puts out there and herald it as masterful when in my opinion it's dull and overly convulated. He sounds like an android or TalkMe. His apparent 'amazing' lyricism does nothing for me. I do not relate to Aesop Rock. His words do not touch any of my emotions, I don't find them to be particularly witty or insightful. Sure I could slug a few big words into conversation and look all smarmy because of that but I feel the people that do that, do so because they are trying to make the other person look less intelligent which is a bit of a dickish thing to do. Now I know you guys will come back with your usual retorts of 'omg manky, you're so wrong. you could not be more wrong. you like kendrick lemar, you don't know what you're talking about' so I will state I am just airing my opinion on Aesop Rock, and I am doing so to find out why you guys like him so much. Surely it's not because his music demands you go through it with a fine tooth comb and microscope in the hope of finding a clever bit of wordplay? If it is, why not just learn Arabic and translate the Qur'an I'm just saying as a hip-hop fan, I don't understand why this guy makes it his mission to alienate me. I'd like to like him, but he's not exactly accessible. Also, if you're going to reply saying his lyrics are good, etc. That too is an opinion. It is your opinion that said lyrics are in fact 'good' A TalkMe is an application that my friends and I used in like 2nd year Graphic Communication at High School in which you would insert writing and the robotic voice would mundanely read it back to you. Hilarious for outing the sexuality of your classmates when you were 13.