- Nicole Sergent
Don’t Forget Aesop Rock
On July 11, 2016 I was reminded of just how talented the rapper Aesop Rock is. For those of you unaware, he is a rapper that masterfully and continuously produces time-relevant rhymes addressing a variety of issues. His most recent album that was released this past April, The Impossible Kid, carries along messages about perceived reality, mental health, family, and death. As per usual, the album is chock full of rich vocabulary, literary references, and dark humor. After this album dropped, he chose to go on tour around the country and I got lucky enough to score tickets to his show.
Before Aesop took the stage, DJ Zone and Rob Sonic performed a lively set that built up momentum for the main act. Prior to this show, I had no idea who Rob Sonic was as a rapper, but after I certainly did. Possessing a different rapping style, this rapper is more inclined to reference pop culture and carries his own unique cadence. Rob extended raps while lightly interacting with the audience. He humbly opened up the crowd to what goodness that was to come.
Aesop entered into the spotlight to an audience chanting. Leading off with the opening track from The Impossible Kid, “Mystery Fish,” his energy was high. In typical fashion his unique cadence enthralled audience members from the instant he opened his mouth. A particularly engrossing performance of “None Shall Pass,” appealed to fans seeking to hear his classic hits. When visiting Baton Rouge this past July, he chose to perform a set list featuring a variety of his old and new raps. Aesop never missed a beat as he viciously rapped through his entire set. Considering his spunk, it was no surprise that his loyal listeners sought more, and he returned to stage for an awesome encore.
Moral of this concert story: do not pass up a chance to see Aesop Rock live. He has such raw talent and enthusiastically performs that it’d be a shame to miss out on one of his shows.