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
N.Y. Electric
Aesop Rock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stanton Isle, up state, Tri-state
Just for my people
Just for my people
Just for my people
Just for my people
Get down
Fresh cut as a pigeon blooded smoke
Load bazooka
Stoke the cobra coats over a broken hookah
Got rabble pants with psycho dance and cook because the wattage
Electric yoke N.Y. there’s gonna be movie sluts in gospels
Finish the bodega rode in moment composure to echo
Nammen uncommon
Doubt monkey polish
My twenty-three’s lean over a cobra motor milligram bender
Book novelty
A tip lives prior to clippin' the camaraderie
Check the muck out
When metal maggot’s borough in Promised Land vein division I tug my friend down to my astigmatism
Low Bro
Packs and rows, Max a golden butcher
Last catapult standin' in a land of coke and hookers
King cotton common, no problem for brick shawl lows, sock puppets and sitcoms describe long pages bread in a hotbox wigwam
Debra tone hit the dish where the teens demonstrate ease in the hot days when she purchase the foundations of the last remix of ? service
Me oh I checked into the murals to see sub numinous f***er and um respect
Find out what it means to me New York
Walk knots with electric ninjas who bark bounce with punked out whip
Like my company Delorean’s the s***
Skipper’s out of happy pills again, he’s in the neighbors garbage (ah Skippy)
He’s making paper dolls decorated with targets (don’t do it)
He’s labeling the dolls with the names of s***ty rap artist (no)
Then tearing out the still beating heart from the loose-leaf carpets
I ordered a hovercraft off the back page of an RC comic
Built it in three days and thought about starky comics
My gills call the east river rock bottom home in three eyed guppies and sea horses mutations
See New York as ancient Rome, basic
Basically stoned, faith is
My friend jumped of the empire state building while I hung tenth grade head cases
(Suck ? fame is)
Some of them lost the base hit
While they all read brims in the metal die cast Vol-tron cadence, what
N-Y electric, cannibal, burners, pigs, magnums, crack, bag baby, roach bait
Pristine kicks spread in the iris of the needle (Just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
Here we go
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
Beaker one-nine-nine-eleven-o-one witness, maybe you don’t get this
(Let’s go)
Kill ‘em all slow
I was on a serious tree bender with my hands up at a crazy wall’s show
Never circuit bacon don’t police me anymore
You’re a trained professional ? forty-one shots over par
Least common denominator
Raise truth like Charlie within a grants raise roofs in a glass wankavator
Monster maker
Operate wild by the company of the turn stones and thinner
Talk his way out of a sunburn and be home in time for dinner
Paid dues since the door two days of bad acid and Quaaludes
While a boom box talks trash to the Richter
Sulkin' awkward
With a zip lock on a pill hole
Bitter f***er
Nothing is free
I’ll spend my last dollar on me
Put one up for my family, should have made time to thank them
Put one up for my crew, for recognizing the sanctum
Put one up for the socially broke choke stoke me
New York pissed hits bleed Dolby homie
N-Y electric, cannibal, burners, pigs, magnums, crack, bag baby, roach bait
Pristine kicks spread in the iris of the needle (Just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
Here we go
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
It go beaker one-nine-nine-eleven-o-one witness, maybe you don’t get this
B****
I didn’t expect it dog
Yes people
N-Y electric
Welcome to N-Y Electra
Where buildings fall and hopes crash
Yeah, I’m vast air from can Knox
Peace to Adam’s fam
Juggernauts, strong hold
That’s my mother f***in word
You’ve been all over the world
You’ve hunted just about every kind of game
You’ve stalked elephant, lions, tigers, polar bears, dear
You’ve been within fifteen, twenty yards the most deadly game in the world
You’ve been everywhere
You’ve been with some of the most famous guides and hunters in the world
What’s the biggest thrill you’ve ever had out of all of that?
Well I think I can answer that best by calling attention to the
Bazooka Tooth Be-atch
I say bazooka tooth right?
Bazooka tooth b****
The lyrics to Aesop Rock's song "N.Y. Electric / Hunter Interlude" are dense and difficult to decipher, but a deep dive into the words reveals a lot about the rapper's perspective on New York City and his role as an artist within it. The song seems to be centered on the idea of creating something just for his people - a statement of solidarity with the community of artists and misfits that Aesop Rock considers his own. He references a number of cultural touchpoints, from Bazooka Tooth (a common nickname for himself) to comic books, to the tragedy of a friend jumping off the Empire State Building. He also touches on themes of transformation and mutation, likening the inhabitants of the East River to "mutations" and comparing the city to ancient Rome.
Throughout the song, Aesop Rock employs his signature dense, allusive style, painting a picture of a frenetic, unpredictable city where anything can happen. He speaks of cutting ropes (perhaps metaphorically severing ties to a more conventional way of life) and loading a bazooka, but also describes the mundane reality of "Debra tone" hitting the dish and teens demonstrating ease. The song is a mixture of dark, absurdist humor and gritty, realistic detail, with the image of a man making paper dolls decorated with targets standing in for both.
Line by Line Meaning
New York (indistinct)
This song represents the chaotic and indistinct nature of New York City.
Stanton Isle, up state, Tri-state
Referring to different locations within the state of New York.
Just for my people
This song is dedicated to the people of New York.
Get down
Get ready for the intense and energetic experience of the song.
I cut the ropes (breath)
I break free from restrictions or limitations.
Fresh cut as a pigeon blooded smoke
A fresh and intense feeling, comparable to the color of a pigeon's blood.
Load bazooka
Prepare for action or confrontation.
Stoke the cobra coats over a broken hookah
Create excitement and intensity amidst a broken and unstable situation.
Got rabble pants with psycho dance and cook because the wattage
Expressing a rebellious and chaotic energy, fueled by intensity.
Electric yoke N.Y. there’s gonna be movie sluts in gospels
The electrifying atmosphere of New York will attract attention and create stories and legends.
Finish the bodega rode in moment composure to echo
Completing a journey through different places, maintaining a composed demeanor.
Nammen uncommon
Unique and distinctive.
Doubt monkey polish
Cleaning or refining one's doubts or uncertainties.
My twenty-three’s lean over a cobra motor milligram bender
My experiences and actions are influenced by a powerful and intense force.
Book novelty
Embrace new and exciting experiences or ideas.
A tip lives prior to clippin' the camaraderie
Before forming close relationships, one must take risks and make sacrifices.
Check the muck out
Examine the difficult and messy situations.
When metal maggot’s borough in Promised Land vein division I tug my friend down to my astigmatism
Facing challenging situations and influencing others while dealing with personal flaws and challenges.
Low Bro
Feeling down or depressed.
Packs and rows, Max a golden butcher
Dealing with a large amount of stress or responsibilities.
Last catapult standin' in a land of coke and hookers
Maintaining resilience and strength in a chaotic and hedonistic environment.
King cotton common, no problem for brick shawl lows, sock puppets and sitcoms describe long pages bread in a hotbox wigwam
The ordinary and mundane aspects of life in New York are captured in a creative and unique way.
Debra tone hit the dish where the teens demonstrate ease in the hot days when she purchase the foundations of the last remix of ? service
Debra shows her skill and ease in difficult situations, making significant purchases that shape her experiences.
Me oh I checked into the murals to see sub numinous f***er and um respect
Observing and appreciating the artistic and spiritual aspects of New York City.
Find out what it means to me New York
Discovering and understanding the true essence of New York City.
Walk knots with electric ninjas who bark bounce with punked out whip
Navigating through the city with energetic and rebellious individuals.
Like my company Delorean’s the s***
Highlighting the cool and impressive nature of the company I keep.
Skipper’s out of happy pills again, he’s in the neighbors garbage (ah Skippy)
Skipper is struggling with his mental health and engaging in unhealthy behaviors.
He’s making paper dolls decorated with targets (don’t do it)
He is expressing his frustrations or anger towards certain individuals.
He’s labeling the dolls with the names of s***ty rap artist (no)
He is criticizing and mocking specific rap artists.
Then tearing out the still beating heart from the loose-leaf carpets
Engaging in destructive or violent behavior.
I ordered a hovercraft off the back page of an RC comic
Purchasing an unusual or unique item through non-conventional means.
Built it in three days and thought about starky comics
Assembling the hovercraft quickly and enjoying the process with nostalgic thoughts.
My gills call the east river rock bottom home in three eyed guppies and sea horses mutations
Showing familiarity and comfort with the challenging environment and unusual inhabitants of the East River.
See New York as ancient Rome, basic
Viewing New York City as a historic and significant place with a simple and fundamental essence.
Basically stoned, faith is
Feeling mentally and spiritually elevated, having faith in oneself or something higher.
My friend jumped of the empire state building while I hung tenth grade head cases
While my friend took extreme measures, I struggled with personal and emotional challenges in high school.
(Suck ? fame is)
Criticizing the negative aspects or consequences of fame.
Some of them lost the base hit
Some individuals failed to achieve their goals or reach their potential.
While they all read brims in the metal die cast Vol-tron cadence, what
While others indulge in material possessions, I question their true value and significance.
N-Y electric, cannibal, burners, pigs, magnums, crack, bag baby, roach bait
Describing the intense and diverse elements of New York City.
Pristine kicks spread in the iris of the needle (Just for my people)
Highlighting the exceptional and unique style of the singer, catering to their audience and community.
I’m a thread the needle (just for my people)
I will navigate through challenging situations with skill and precision, for the benefit of my people.
Here we go
Preparing for a new phase or action.
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
The energetic and repetitive nature of the upcoming section.
Beaker one-nine-nine-eleven-o-one witness, maybe you don’t get this
Referring to a specific event or experience that may be difficult for others to understand or comprehend.
(Let’s go)
Expressing excitement and readiness to proceed.
Kill ‘em all slow
Taking one's time to defeat or overcome all obstacles or opponents.
I was on a serious tree bender with my hands up at a crazy wall’s show
Engaging in substance abuse while attending a chaotic and intense concert.
Never circuit bacon don’t police me anymore
I no longer let authorities or limitations control me.
You’re a trained professional ? forty-one shots over par
Addressing someone who is highly skilled or experienced but still makes significant mistakes or fails.
Least common denominator
Settling for the lowest or simplest level of understanding or achievement.
Raise truth like Charlie within a grants raise roofs in a glass wankavator
Promoting and spreading the truth, even in a society that is controlled or manipulated.
Monster maker
Creating or becoming something extraordinary or monstrous.
Operate wild by the company of the turn stones and thinner
Engaging in reckless or unconventional behavior with like-minded individuals.
Talk his way out of a sunburn and be home in time for dinner
Being able to convince or manipulate others to avoid negative consequences and maintain a normal routine.
Paid dues since the door two days of bad acid and Quaaludes
Having experiences and making sacrifices for a long time, even during difficult or drug-induced periods.
While a boom box talks trash to the Richter
Using music and lyrics to express defiance and provoke others.
Sulkin' awkward
Feeling uncomfortable or out of place.
With a zip lock on a pill hole
Securing or protecting something valuable or important.
Bitter f***er
Feeling resentful or angry.
Nothing is free
There is a cost or consequence for everything.
I’ll spend my last dollar on me
I prioritize and invest in myself above all else.
Put one up for my family, should have made time to thank them
Expressing gratitude and acknowledging the importance of family.
Put one up for my crew, for recognizing the sanctum
Showing appreciation for the support and loyalty of one's friends and associates.
Put one up for the socially broke choke stoke me
Acknowledging and supporting those who struggle socially or financially.
New York pissed hits bleed Dolby homie
The intense and energetic nature of New York City influences and affects me deeply.
Welcome to N-Y Electra
Introducing the listener to the electrifying and intense atmosphere of New York City.
Where buildings fall and hopes crash
Describing the unpredictable and challenging nature of the city.
Yeah, I’m vast air from can Knox
The artist feels free and liberated in New York City.
Peace to Adam’s fam
Sending greetings and good wishes to a specific group or family.
Juggernauts, strong hold
Referring to powerful and unstoppable individuals or forces.
That’s my mother f***in word
Asserting the singer's seriousness and trustworthiness.
You’ve been all over the world
Referring to the listener's extensive travel experiences.
You’ve hunted just about every kind of game
The listener has pursued or experienced a wide range of challenges or adventures.
You’ve stalked elephant, lions, tigers, polar bears, dear
The listener is familiar with hunting and tracking various types of animals.
You’ve been within fifteen, twenty yards the most deadly game in the world
The listener has been in close proximity to and faced dangerous situations or opponents.
You’ve been everywhere
The listener has traveled extensively and experienced many different places.
You’ve been with some of the most famous guides and hunters in the world
The listener has had the opportunity to learn from and associate with renowned experts in their field.
What’s the biggest thrill you’ve ever had out of all of that?
Asking the listener about their most exhilarating or memorable experience.
Well I think I can answer that best by calling attention to the
Providing a response to the previous question.
Bazooka Tooth Be-atch
Referring to an exceptional and powerful weapon or force.
I say bazooka tooth right?
Emphasizing the power and significance of the bazooka tooth.
Bazooka tooth b****
Repeating the previous statement with assertiveness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hate Inclination
Classic Aesop album
lipfunction
ordered a hover craft from the back of an archie comic ...
xD