Bavitz was born in Syosset, New York and grew up in Northport, New York. While attending college, Bavitz initially recorded and released two self-financed efforts, Music for Earthworms (1997), a full-length featuring underground artist Percee P on two tracks. Bavitz also released a music video to "Abandon All Hope", which was one of the tracks on the CD. The album sold over 300 copies, largely from a grassroots internet-based promotion at his website AesopRock.com and then-popular web portal, MP3.Com. It was a success. With the money he made from his previous release, he then released his Appleseed EP in 1999 which received critical acclaim in the underground hip hop circuit.[citation needed] Both of his early records were produced by long-time friend Blockhead, and underground producer Dub-L. He completed these albums while also working as a waiter.
After his breakthrough success in the underground hip hop and indie rap community, he was eventually noticed by the Mush label and obtained his first record deal in 1999, just a year after he graduated from college. Aesop released his first major album, Float (2000), with guest appearances from Vast Aire, Slug, and Dose One. Production was split between Blockhead and Aesop himself, with one track by Omega One. During this time, Aesop worked at a photography gallery. In August 2001 tragedy struck when Bavitz had a nervous breakdown. The song "One of Four" on his Daylight EP documents his struggles.
Shortly after releasing Float, Aesop Rock signed to Manhattan-based label Definitive Jux (commonly shortened to Def Jux), where he released Labor Days (2001), an album dedicated to the discussion of labor in American society and the concept of "wage slaves". This album was most well known for its single "Daylight". Because of its popularity, Daylight was re-released in 2002 as a seven-track EP, including an "alternative" new version of the song "Night Light", whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to, and stand in stark opposition to, the original's. The song "Labor" (from Labor Days) was featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4; it also was the first album in his catalog to break through the Billboard charts, peaking at number 15 at the United States Independent Charts, giving Aesop Rock more recognition.
Labor Days was followed by Bazooka Tooth in 2003. For the first time, production was mostly handled by Rock himself, with three tracks from longtime collaborator Blockhead and one from close friend and Definitive Jux label CEO El-P. Guest appearances include Party Fun Action Committee, El-P, and Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and Camp Lo. With this release Aesop hit a higher level of recognition, releasing "No Jumper Cables" as a single and music video, then another single, "Freeze", shortly after. A remix of "No Jumper Cables" was featured on Tony Hawk's Underground 2, furthering Aesop's recognition. In 2004, He released Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth and created a contest in which you had to create a remix of an Aesop Rock song using the a cappellas and instrumentals.
In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP included an 88-page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); later pressings of the album come without the booklet, but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Rock did less production on the EP: three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. During this time he was asked to join The Weathermen to replace Vast Aire.
Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring his wife Allyson Baker on guitar and scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes."
All Day was followed in August of the same year by Bavitz's fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass released in 2007. The album also contained original artwork by Jeremy Fish. About Jeremy Fish, Aesop Rock said: "Man that guy is my hero. We have a friend in common who hit me up a while back saying that this guy Jeremy Fish had an opportunity to pitch a cartoon to Disney and wanted me to be involved in the music side. I flipped out cuz I was also a fan of his, and owned some of his work." Aesop Rock also teamed up with Jeremy Fish again in a project called Ghosts of the Barbary Coast. Aesop Rock made a song called "Tomorrow Morning", to go along with a slideshow of drawings that Jeremy Fish drew. This was displayed in San Francisco, but was also made available for download online. None Shall Pass had positive reviews from critics and fans, applauding Aesop for his change in sound.
In 2011, Rhymesayers released "Are You Going to Eat That?", the debut album from Hail Mary Mallon, a collaboration between Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz.
On July 10, 2012, Rhymesayers released Aesop Rock's sixth studio album, "Skelethon". Its first single, "Zero Dark Thirty", was released four months earlier on April 10. A second single, "ZZZ Top", was released on June 29.
In 2011, Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches formed the duo The Uncluded. The duo's debut album, "Hokey Fright" was released on May 7, 2013.
In 2018, Aesop Rock teamed up with TOBACCO to form Malibu Ken
Bad Karma
Aesop Rock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have seen things most men would melt apart from
It's like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait
All my drunk destiny pushed was one radio flyer chock full of halo parts
Ringin' this crime
Like man, I could fix your broken shine
We're all saint swept serpent tide 'round charcoal tomorrow
Bunk holiday debt
I'm now, then and there, I we us them it
I'm sorry, I'm
God
this final extension's beautiful, but friend, I don't deserve it
I beg of you sweet father
Please detach my chest's swollen lining
I can't handle asymmerty
And if it means my grand finale
Don't tally the votes
Finish me dormant with
Torture machine silencer piece
Position where eyelids will reach
REM well before I’m torn
I've never asked for much
Never felt golden benefit worthy
I gots, what I gots, and what I don't gots don't concern me
I'm no model
Never aspired to be velociraptor fossil
Man, there wasn't rainment
Man, I never had a say in this
I, wanna be the normalcy, that normalcy was jealous of
No shimmer
No celestial flight midwinter
Enter me now
See through Cretin low-life iris
I'm not-I'm not ready for all this business
That for some reason you all refer to as a privilege
I mean, look at me
My feathers drag, this harp plays out of tune
I fly about as straight as a blind tugboat through my legacy
Accidentally killed cupid with his own weaponry
And man, that was my homie
Talk about not cut out for these pristine pearly robings
What could I possibly have done
You really want me to steer child populace back on beaten path
Like teach em' morals
I can't be a part of something I ain't searchin my feelings man
I'm from the dungeon
So from here on out
It's hark the herald nothing
Listen, I quit
That's it
but for the life of me
One thing has plagued my being from the get-go
Why place the most blessed and sacred honors upon an alley cat like this
I just don't get it, oh. my god, it just dawned on me
Wait a second, oh, god...
You have been a witness
You have seen the days when
I apply lies in a billion different ways
and
Now I harbor bad karma
Doomed to cope with the fact I dodged the ring but gotta show these cats the ropes
Please lead these little wings to a road
Please lead this little halo to a child with a lighter load
I'mma hold this tight like a life vest and throw it to a mic
In the song Bad Karma by Aesop Rock, the singer, a fallen angel, laments the burden of being blessed with wings, and the negative karma that comes with it. Despite the envy they might inspire in others, the wings have seen things that would cause most men to fall apart. The singer speaks of adding to the crime ring with a broken halo, and using their abilities to fix the broken shine of others. However, their speech sounds like a plea for redemption, asking to have their chest's swelling removed, so they might better handle the burden of being asymmetrical, and if necessary, be finished off with a silencer piece, prior to their possible grand finale.
The singer reveals that they are not deserving of their divine extension and compares themselves to a low-life Cretin. They express a reluctance to be responsible for steering children back on the right path, emphasizing that they cannot teach morals if they don't believe in them themselves. They question why someone like them, who has been plagued with bad karma, was chosen for the most sacred honors, and express the desire to pass on the halo to someone with a lighter load. The song ultimately concludes with a sense of resignation as the singer quits, but they still grapple with the fact that they must show others like them the ropes.
Line by Line Meaning
These wings...
My experience and perspective are vastly different from most people
Have seen things most men would melt apart from
I've witnessed events and atrocities beyond what most people can handle
It's like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait
Trying to make sense of everything is overwhelming and confusing
All my drunk destiny pushed was one radio flyer chock full of halo parts
I've been pushed towards a path of being seen as righteous and pure, but I don't feel deserving of it
Ringin' this crime
I feel guilty for existing in a world where so much terrible things happen
Like man, I could fix your broken shine
Despite my own flaws, I have a desire to help fix the broken parts of the world
We're all saint swept serpent tide 'round charcoal tomorrow
We all have potential for good and evil, and the future is ambiguous
Bunk holiday debt
The pressures and expectations of society can be suffocating
easy now brother, I'm here
I offer comfort and support to those who need it
I'm now, then and there, I we us them it
I exist in multiple planes of reality and experience
I'm sorry, I'm
I apologize for my own existence and shortcomings
God
I question the existence and purpose of a higher power
this final extension's beautiful, but friend, I don't deserve it
I'm given opportunities and experiences that I don't feel worthy of or deserving of
I beg of you sweet father
I plead with a higher power for guidance and understanding
Please detach my chest's swollen lining
I want to be relieved of my emotional burdens and pain
I can't handle asymmetry
I struggle with imbalance and turmoil in my life
And if it means my grand finale
If my life is coming to an end
Don't tally the votes
I don't want people to judge me or my life's worth
Finish me dormant with
Let me peacefully pass away
Torture machine silencer piece
Let me go without unnecessary suffering
Position where eyelids will reach
Make sure I'm comfortable in my final moments
REM well before I’m torn
Let me pass away before any further suffering or pain
I've never asked for much
I don't have high expectations for myself or others
Never felt golden benefit worthy
I don't feel that I deserve special treatment or rewards
I gots, what I gots, and what I don't gots don't concern me
I'm content with what I have and don't worry about what I lack
I'm no model
I'm not a perfect or ideal person
Never aspired to be velociraptor fossil
I never had grand ambitions or goals
Man, there wasn't raiment
I didn't have the resources or opportunity to dress well
Man, I never had a say in this
I've never had much control or influence over my life or circumstances
I, wanna be the normalcy, that normalcy was jealous of
I want to feel accepted and belong, even if it means being boring or unremarkable
No shimmer
I don't have a dazzling or impressive presence
No celestial flight midwinter
I don't have the ability or opportunity to transcend my human limitations
Enter me now
I'm ready for some change or transformation
See through Cretin low-life iris
I'm able to see the flaws and darkness in myself and others
I'm not-I'm not ready for all this business
I feel overwhelmed and unprepared for the challenges and responsibilities before me
That for some reason you all refer to as a privilege
I don't understand why people consider certain opportunities or experiences to be privileges
I mean, look at me
I don't feel impressive or worthy of attention or praise
My feathers drag, this harp plays out of tune
I have flaws and mistakes that make me feel inadequate
I fly about as straight as a blind tugboat through my legacy
I feel directionless and unfocused in my life
Accidentally killed cupid with his own weaponry
I've made mistakes that harmed others or ruined relationships
And man, that was my homie
I regret my actions and the consequences they had on others
Talk about not cut out for these pristine pearly robings
I don't feel deserving or capable of living up to certain expectations or standards
What could I possibly have done
I'm confused and uncertain about my role and purpose in life
You really want me to steer child populace back on beaten path
People expect me to be a positive and influential role model, but I don't feel capable of that
Like teach em' morals
People want me to instill values and morals in children or others
I can't be a part of something I ain't searchin my feelings man
I can't be a part of something if I don't understand or believe in it myself
I'm from the dungeon
I come from a difficult or challenging background
So from here on out
Moving forward
It's hark the herald nothing
Nothing that grand or impressive will come from me
Listen, I quit
I give up or retreat from my responsibilities or ambitions
That's it
I'm done
but for the life of me
Despite my efforts or intentions
One thing has plagued my being from the get-go
I've struggled with one thing since the beginning of my life
Why place the most blessed and sacred honors upon an alley cat like this
Why am I expected to live up to certain standards or values when I don't feel deserving of them?
I just don't get it, oh. my god, it just dawned on me
I suddenly realize something that I haven't understood before
Wait a second, oh, god...
Hold on, let me think
You have been a witness
You've seen the events and experiences of my life
You have seen the days when
You've seen the moments when
I apply lies in a billion different ways
I've been dishonest and deceptive in many situations
and
Now I harbor bad karma
Now I'm dealing with the consequences of my actions
Doomed to cope with the fact I dodged the ring but gotta show these cats the ropes
I've avoided responsibility or accountability in the past, but now I have to step up and teach others
Please lead these little wings to a road
Please guide me towards a positive and fulfilling path
Please lead this little halo to a child with a lighter load
Please let my influence and impact benefit someone who is less burdened and troubled than I am
I'mma hold this tight like a life vest and throw it to a mic
I'm going to hold onto my experiences and lessons and express them through my music
Contributed by Charlotte V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lost524
"I gots what I gots and what I don't gots don't concern me"
Had this line stuck in my head randomly, haven't heard this song in years.
@vinyldigital1312
its weird how hip hop tends to do that
@SmitzPNK
thats the exact reason im here today
@remainOne2C
🤫@@vinyldigital1312
@cicero7409
I can barely comprehend this song, but I can't stop listening to it. Just so haunting and moody.
@willkillhimself
This is definitely one of my favourites from Aesop. Couldn’t find it on YT the last time i looked, thanks for the upload.
@wild-radio7373
Same.
@ablindchild8419
I couldn't find it when I searched for it today so I decided to renew it.
@michaelreed6603
Thank you
@McSpliff
Thank you, very much. I couldn’t find it for like a year & a half! Bless🙏