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
Oxygen
Aesop Rock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once is the resurrection of honorable function
Been shoveling a coal as the engine's doctor
Long enough to see my silhouette acquire a permanent kink in a posture
The metenance of icicle spirit by the warmth of true endearment
Was, is, and forever will be a luxury
I'm a soubrette columnist fathering doom document
Cursed version of a certain Virgin Mary womb occupant
[Verse One]
I know swamp rats who never suckled oxygen purification
Sure it's blurry may have had them speeennnd breeezzzzze
Stuck until my friend leaves puppet for the plummet committee
Sputtering bum numb enough to stomach the city
Who's that hugging a silhouette of willows with a hill's crest pan out?
On the candy coated crab apples, sugar dipped deadpan outs
I got a plan, I'll turnaquet my quest
Defeat a needle into battling to mute the mess
With patience galas with absentee balance I shove in the button
Strutting to exhibit mankind's hostility function
With a, ppppppppp paling in comparison a methias Goliath
Live to riggedy frame in a wicked silence
I top and ate my nameless square then I bumped eyelids
With a Christ we saw the same thing through a second
What's that? The grand mosaic depicting historical glory in a legend
Nurse me through the time stick and stone mixes hex my fertile crescent
Now all's well, I'm laughing on the inside I swear
Just trying to keep my head above red tide despair
My imperfections pair off with buddy system symmetrics morbidly
So every second the discontent's locked accordingly
Let's turn mummy's shut up affection a berserk glory condition
And pray for the day a star child tugs the ribbon
Meddle in a two-hand grip when that spoon full of sugar medical chaser
Credible crasser antidote's terrible taste the
Water with a stolen soul pen left picture mad rhythm pinned
Never set a grin and fly health
Consider me a mobile advertisement for that hybrid plan of fabrics
I deemed practical, now is you is or is you ain't compatible
I feel a wind in my opinions plus hyper clutch
Crush one's ginger bread tenement awful,
It's like the date of Grado Methasawmill
A lifeline of spectacular expansion leaves the reaper
At the hand of what man's hand jokes
My friend's got a book about dreams, I look and laugh
I dream a book about my friends and still can't decipher the half
Ch-chatter boooox, now let a soothe sayer major
Cater to a king green battered on the brink of disease
I am, skin and bones, I am, sin and poems, I am, tin and chrome
You grin and groans fuck it I'm tinted when accrete zone
Blow the pedals off a dandelion trying to make my little gypsy blush
And felt as if I'd actually accomplish something
Fortify the bullies of the jokes soaking in treatment
Sit and watch the percentages teeter on the evening
On a ghost up in a fuse a lot second before the cock dropped
In the Styx and stared him down until he fixed it
Fashion, it's cool and all but what about God?
[Oh God, well he's the man, but what about reading?]
What, like novels, man that don't hold my attention, what about television?
[Television hurts my brain, how about walking in the rain?]
I hate walking, it's boring, how about some old fashioned gone fishin'
[Yeah, fishing's great but I can't stand hooking the bait, lets dance]
I've got too left feet plus motion sickness, how about breakfast?
[Man, I'm hungry, but that means I'mma have to borrow some money]
Let's fly a kite [Let's burn the generals]
Let's sell lemonade [Let's drink]
Let's poke a hole inside the tugboat, ease on back and watch it sink
[Naw, lets scare a pupil once a year just to shake the academy]
Casually note the blossom of phantom alignment strategy
[Verse Two]
I'll make the waterfall out of order in autumn saw the quarter
When the gods mimic the vintage knuckle drag sacked in a coffin
I affiliate my rag dummy appearance with a most cohesive spirit
Clattering the yesterday ain't shed a tear since
Hear me, wrote the Old Yeller community cartoon
The carousel balloon extravagant aware, inviting it
I'm swore to Adam and matter and saddling
Warhead thorax and abdomen to primitive horse back galloping
My index fingers rest in my talisman branded up in the jackals skin
One must pardon yee old common street detour
Weaving graceful through the prom directed column
Greater virus retreats to a lot in Valom
Bean stalk where the fiend walk and my name is mud
But that's got a ring to it so my swill welcomes the flood
I walk through God's practical joke on man practically broke
And if they raise my rent again I'll spend my nights practically soaked
Who spits silk dimensions with a noose looped by the raft?
After lack of reasoning jedi 3, 2, 1,
Oooh I'm hung, I've clung to hope but see you in hell
I'll be that clear blue icicle that simply refused to melt
Sturdy eye krulin, tin can skeleton,
Skull of a thousand dilapidated dream remnants
Here to convict based on a tin bucket of evidence
I steer where the heaven's merely a legend so the peasants dream well
The first verse of Aesop Rock's song Oxygen is a complex mixture of seemingly disparate images and ideas that somehow all come together to create a cogent picture of the world he inhabits. He begins by declaring himself "twice born," implying perhaps that he has undergone some kind of spiritual awakening or transformation. He then speaks of a "resurrection of honorable function," suggesting that he has found a way to live that is both fulfilling and true to his values. This, however, is juxtaposed with the image of himself as a coal shoveler, a laborer whose hard work has left him with a permanent kink in his posture. It is as if he is simultaneously celebrating and mourning the harsh realities of life.
The second half of the verse is equally dense, with Aesop Rock describing himself as a "soubrette columnist fathering doom document," which could be interpreted as someone who writes about tragic events or dark themes. He then calls himself a "cursed version of a certain Virgin Mary womb occupant," which is perhaps a reference to the idea of being born under a bad sign or a symbol of suffering. Throughout the verse, there is a sense of struggle and a desire to find meaning in the chaos of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm twice born, once and seven something
I've gone through a significant transformation or change in my life
Once is the resurrection of honorable function
The first transformation was when I regained my purpose and honor
Been shoveling a coal as the engine's doctor
I've been working hard to keep things running smoothly
Long enough to see my silhouette acquire a permanent kink in a posture
I've been working at this job for a long time, enough to develop physical changes due to it
The metenance of icicle spirit by the warmth of true endearment
Maintaining a positive outlook despite difficulties
Was, is, and forever will be a luxury
It's a luxury to be able to maintain a positive attitude in difficult times
I'm a soubrette columnist fathering doom document
I'm a writer who documents negative aspects of society
Cursed version of a certain Virgin Mary womb occupant
Like Mary, I feel cursed and burdened by something beyond my control
I know swamp rats who never suckled oxygen purification
I know people who have faced tough conditions and never had access to basic necessities like clean air
Sure it's blurry may have had them speeennnd breeezzzzze
It's possible that their lack of pure oxygen led to hallucinations or blurry vision
Stuck until my friend leaves puppet for the plummet committee
I feel stuck and helpless, waiting for someone else to make a move
Sputtering bum numb enough to stomach the city
I've become desensitized to the negative aspects of city life
Who's that hugging a silhouette of willows with a hill's crest pan out?
I see someone appreciating nature and its beauty in the distance
On the candy coated crab apples, sugar dipped deadpan outs
Despite the beauty, there are still negative aspects hiding under the surface
I got a plan, I'll turnaquet my quest
I have a plan to achieve my goal
Defeat a needle into battling to mute the mess
I will work hard and fight against obstacles to achieve my goal
With patience galas with absentee balance I shove in the button
I patiently balance my life while also taking action to achieve my goal
Strutting to exhibit mankind's hostility function
I'm taking action to show the negative aspects of human behavior
With a, ppppppppp paling in comparison a methias Goliath
Even though I'm taking on a big challenge, it pales in comparison to something much larger and overwhelming
Live to riggedy frame in a wicked silence
I live in a twisted and corrupt world where I must remain quiet to survive
I top and ate my nameless square then I bumped eyelids
I've reached a peak or completed something, making me tired
With a Christ we saw the same thing through a second
We share a common experience or perspective, like seeing something through someone else's eyes
What's that? The grand mosaic depicting historical glory in a legend
I see something beautiful and meaningful, possibly referencing history or a legend
Nurse me through the time stick and stone mixes hex my fertile crescent
Help me get through tough times and hardships
Now all's well, I'm laughing on the inside I swear
Despite everything, I'm doing okay and still able to find some humor
Just trying to keep my head above red tide despair
I'm struggling to stay above negative thoughts and emotions
My imperfections pair off with buddy system symmetrics morbidly
My flaws are particularly noticeable and often seem to work together against me
So every second the discontent's locked accordingly
Every moment is filled with negative thoughts and experiences which makes it difficult to be truly content
Let's turn mummy's shut up affection a berserk glory condition
Let's take something good, like a mother's nurture, and turn it into something chaotic
And pray for the day a star child tugs the ribbon
Hope for something better in the future, maybe even a miraculous change
Meddle in a two-hand grip when that spoon full of sugar medical chaser
Interfere or mess with something even when it may seem comforting or beneficial
Credible crasser antidote's terrible taste the
The solution to a problem may be unpleasant, but it's still effective
Water with a stolen soul pen left picture mad rhythm pinned
The water I'm drinking or consuming has been tainted or is somehow harmful
Let's burn the generals
Let's take down those in power or authority
Let's drink
Let's forget about everything and drown our sorrows in alcohol
Casually note the blossom of phantom alignment strategy
Make note of a potentially effective or successful strategy even if it seems unlikely or unproven
I'll make the waterfall out of order in autumn saw the quarter
I'll make something beautiful and awe-inspiring out of the ordinary or mundane
When the gods mimic the vintage knuckle drag sacked in a coffin
Even something as simple as the placement of our hands can be significant and symbolic
I affiliate my rag dummy appearance with a most cohesive spirit
I take pride in my appearance even if it may seem shoddy or unrefined
I steer where the heaven's merely a legend so the peasants dream well
I rely on my own instincts and beliefs rather than relying on traditional ideas or religion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANTHONY SIMON, IAN BAVITZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind