Customer Reviews

None Shall Pass

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think that the majority of Aesop fans got worried around the release of Bazooka Tooth that one of the best rappers in the underground scene was losing his touch. Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives did little to assuage that worry.

For me, at least, this latest album was going to be all or nothing. If it sucked, then it meant I would have to come to terms with the fact that there might not be another Labor Days, and that Aesop might have run out of ideas. If it was good, though, then his mediocre last two albums would be forgiven as nothing but a phase, a testing of a style that didn't necessarily work. Aesop would be back.

Fortunately, the latter was true. But don't take that to mean that this is another Labor Days or another Float. This album has a different sound, a different style, and a different direction than anything Aesop has done before. In my personal opinion, it doesn't quite reach the lyrical greatness of his pre-Bazooka work, but it succeeds where Bazooka Tooth failed in that it is actually fun to listen to. The production is absolutely stellar (with the exception of one sub-par track from Rob Sonic), with head-nodders and melodic masterpieces throughout. The guest spots are well-integrated, well-planned, and few enough to avoid the disjointed feel that plagues so many rap albums.

Aesop's lyrics are as cryptic as ever, a quality that has never really allowed him to be popular in the mainstream, but has made him an icon in the underground. His songs require patience and active decoding. Anyone familiar with Aesop's work knows that the true concepts and messages of his songs lie buried in a thick mesh of obscure cultural references, little-known slang, inside jokes, and complex metaphors. However, it has often been said that this is Aesop's most accessible work to date, a label that probably lies more in its production than its lyrical content.

Aesop has put together an album to be counted among the best hip-hop releases of the year, sure to please both longtime fans and newcomers alike. Welcome back, Aesop. We've missed you.

So, to me, it seems that early on in their careers rappers/emcees need to decide if they're going to be class A or class B:

class A releases a couple amazing albums but then becomes artistically spent and sticks around as a hollow shell of their former selves selling albums on reputation and glimpses of their former glory: Nas, Eminem, 50 come to mind.

Then there's class B whom you have to wait ages for new material, but when it finally comes out they continue to amaze: Breeze Brewin, Dr. Dre, El-P.

Then there's Aesop Rock, who's in a class of his own. He doesn't let more than a couple years go between an EP or LP, and seemed to drop amazing versus on everyone else's album in between, and yet with every new release the quality is easily as good as the previous one, if not better. It blows my mind when a rapper is as prolific and inexhaustible as AR is. Aesop doesn't try to draw fake buckets from his empty artist's well, rather I picture his well overflowing nonstop and it's all he can do to attempt to frantically catch even half of it.

Although Blockhead is back I don't really see this as a step backward toward Labor Days and Float like others seem to. Everything is so refined and AR seems so comfortable and at home (almost in an "I'm dope and know it" sort of way) just as he was in Fast Cars and Bazooka.

One nice innovation that worked out splendidly was the live instrumentation including the guitar riffs his wife lays down. As soon as I heard it scorch into the opening track I was like "oh, no you didn't just tastefully share a track w/ block and Aes did you! yes you did!" It works perfectly and it's yet another new take/direction for AR musically.

All in all, the realist in me keeps waiting for Aesop to stop either dropping so frequently or become a hollow shell of his former self, but the fan wanting both quality and quantity has yet to be disappointed. Here's to having our cake and eating it too!

I must be one of the few who really loved Aes' new direction that he flaunted on Bazooka Tooth and Fast Cars. Those albums were a marked departure from all of his previous work and showed intense progression towards a more confrontational, swagga-laden hip hop style.

That's all gone on this record.
His older style makes its celebrated return, making for an album less incendiary than its predecessors, but still a very strong effort. For the stories Aesop wanted to tell, I suppose his old style was the only way to do it. I was a bit disappointed on first spin, but since then this record has really grown on me. Once the tales sink their teeth into your neck, these tracks deliver some of the most concrete ideas of his career.

To balance it all out, there are still a couple tracks where the message is typically cryptic (Popcorn, eh?). The Aesop faithful wouldn't have it any other way, but since this album is...a step backward in my book (no offense), I can't help but wonder what this album would be like if the songs were as self-explanatory as "No Regrets" (off Labor Days), as communication appears to be what he's going for. Some tracks are, others are not.

[...]

Hope this helps.

I've only been up on Aesop Rock for a couple of years now, so i cant really front like i know the history of/album progress Aesop has made since he's emerged. What i can tell you is that he is one of the most unique and odd style MC's out there-a true lyrical artist. In this time of uber-materialism, Aesop shuns away from that image,taking the listener down the rabbit hole, then detouring to a world of brain-warped tales and an unusual form of self-examination.

The production on 'None Shall Pass' is dope-the majority being done by his peer, 'Blockhead' as well as some tracks credited to himself as well as Rob Sonic & EL-P. Dont expect any type of 'Hippie-Hop,flower power beats' either...bass heavy, guitar-laced,funkdafied rhythms compliment his tricky wordplay on every track. As i've said before, his lyrics are exclusive only to a mind like his-try following and you'll lose yourself quick, but his timing with the music is on point making for a great track either way. If you're going to start somewhere with Aesop Rock, why not here? 5 outta 5.

I am going to keep this review short and sweet. Personally, and I think others might agree, that when it comes to Aesop Rock, there is a certain expectation as to what it is going to sound like. Holy ****! Let me tell you this hits the nail on the head! Bang! It is much better, imo, than last years release "Fast cars, danger, fire & knives". The album is full of A.R.'s awesome flow perfectly complemented with music that is candy to your ears. I think it sounds best at night, but can most certainly be enjoyed at all times. 5 stars! BUT IT!!

I'm just beginning to get into Aesop Rock, and i have to say: of all the albums I've heard from him; this is my favorite. None Shall pass (the song) is an excellent single, and the rest of the album really feels well made as well. The beats are crazy good, and really appeal to me. I don't like 'mainstream' hiphop or rap (EG: pop kind of beats), so this was a refreshing album. I highly suggest buying it as it's music you can listen to over and over.

Aesop has been a name mentioned with the best of hip hop artists since joining Def Jux and for good reason. His style is unique and his vocabulary is beyond many of the "masters" of hip hop. When Aesop's fan base started growing, he was teamed with Blockhead who was producing beats for him. When Aesop released Bazooka Tooth many of his fans were puzzled, worried and even disappointed that he had lost his mind. Since Blockhead's production was lacking on the album, people tied the two together. In all honesty, Bazooka Tooth was different indeed, but still featured classic Aesop Rock vocals and lyrics. Fast Cars seemed to continue exploring what Bazooka Tooth started, but was not quite there yet. None Shall Pass is the album that combines the old with the new. This album is consistently more grimy and edgy than Float and Labor Days, but more controlled and steady than Bazooka Tooth.

The opening track kicks us off indicating the album won't just be alive, but too alive. My personal favorite song, 39 Thieves, features Aesop showing off during a break down.

"We're not concerned with the community aloofness
Duke, we're animals, we just go where the most food is
Lower the toast, most formal etiquette is useless
Truth is you're equally expendable if spoonfed
(Money Money)
Money is cool and I'm only human
But they use it as a tool to make the workers feel excluded
Like the shinier the jewel the more exclusive the troop is
Bullets don't take bribes stupid, they shoot s***"

He spits out while his voice and the music fades from one speaker to the other and back. The production on None Shall Pass is new and refreshing and fits nicely allowing Aesop to show his lyrical abilities. This is easily one of the best albums of 2007.

aes is a heavyweight. his music keeps changing and his lyrics keep adapting without losing his style. I love this album. I hope he keeps them coming.

'None Shall Pass' is easily Aesop Rock's greatest achievement thus far. While returning to his roots in terms of production, Aes has managed to maintain the lyrical progress he has made in the past six years. In true Aesop Rock fashion, his latest release oozes thick metaphor and social sardonicism. The sugary production and flow help the medicine go down, but the sheer density of his lyrical content will likely take the average listener much longer to digest. Much more accessible than past releases, this may be the album to help Aesop Rock reach a larger audience. In a day and age when mainstream hip-hop has been reduced to uncreative similes and the touting of materialism and ignorance, 'None Shall Pass' is the shot in the arm the genre's commercial listeners need.

Wow... I wanna know how much of a true fan of hip-hop either one of you are? I've been in the game since '85 and i've listen to lyrically gifted mc's all my life, that's why I think with great confidence that Aes is the greatest lyricist that has ever been in the game, yes greater than Rakim,Krs,Chuck,Pac,Jay,Biggie,Nas,Em and any "backpacker" you can think of, if you doubt me please provide another that can come close to his delivery,subject,framing,timing,scope,layering etc. The ONLY other that I could think of would possibly be Illogic but sometimes i'll loose interest in what he's saying, Aes makes me wanne go back and unlock he's lyrics, the last time I felt like that was when I heard Saafir's first cd "Boxcar Sessions" which I still think is one of the greats in hip-hop, Rass Kass gets a close nod but sometimes he gets wrapped up into himself a little bit to much, even though "Soul on Ice" is another hip-hop great...but again there has never been another mc that will capture my attention like Aes Rock, period. One!

What you all fail to realize is he's best stuff isnt on his cds, try finding some of his obscure stuff,