Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to

El-P Jaime Stuart Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has ...

Definitive Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

label until it went on hiatus in 2010. In a 2010 retrospective, betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the ''Top 100 Artists of the Decade''. He released his first album, '' Music for Earthworms'', in 1997, with '' Float'' following three years later. '' Labor Days'', his third studio album, was released in September 2001. His next release, titled '' Bazooka Tooth'', released 2 years later in September 2003. His fourth studio album, '' None Shall Pass'', was released in August 2007. Its titular song became one of Ian's most popular and well-known songs. His sixth record, '' Skelethon'', was released in July 2012. His seventh release, '' The Impossible Kid'', came out in April 2016. His eighth album, '' Spirit World Field Guide'', came out in November 2020, with his ninth album, ''

Garbology Garbology is the study of modern refuse and trash as well as the use of trash cans, compactors and various types of trash can liners. It is a major source of information on the nature and changing patterns in modern refuse, and thereby, human so ...

'', released in November 2021. '' Integrated Tech Solutions'', his tenth album, was released in November 2023. He was a member of the groups The Weathermen,

Hail Mary Mallon Hail Mary Mallon was an American hip-hop group consisting of Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz. The group's name is a reference to Mary Mallon, Typhoid Mary. Their first release was the song "D-Up", featured on the compilation album, ''Defi ...

, and the Uncluded, and is currently the vocalist of duo Malibu Ken. Regarding his name, he said: "I acquired the name Aesop from a movie I had acted in with some friends. It was my character's name and it sort of stuck. The rock part came later just from throwing it in rhymes."Aesop Rock Interview with MVRemix Urban , US and Canadian Underground Hip Hop and Soul – exclusive interviews, reviews, articles
. Mvremix.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.

Early life and education

Bavitz was born at Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York, and raised in Northport,

, New York to his father Paul and mother Jameija. Bavitz has two brothers: Christopher T. Bavitz (born 1973), a clinical professor at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

and director of Cyberlaw Clinic at the

Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, ...

, and Graham J. Bavitz (born 1978). Along with his siblings, Ian was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, but he later became agnostic. Bavitz attended Northport High School in 1990 and graduated in 1994. After graduating from high school, Bavitz attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

where he studied visual arts. He acquired his

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

in 1998. He met his future collaborator, Blockhead, in 1994 during the latter's only year at the school. After hearing Aesop Rock freestyle, Blockhead decided to forgo his own dreams of rapping in favor of focusing on production. Blockhead was involved with a crew in New York called The Overground that included

Dub-L Michael P. Delaney, better known by his stage name Dub-L, is an American record producer, recording artist and filmmaker. Early life Delaney was born and raised in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in New York City. During his early adulthood, Aesop Rock held various odd jobs including positions answering phones for clothing catalogs, packaging artwork in

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

storerooms and working for one-hour photo developers.

Career

1985–2001: New York City underground music scene

As a youth, Bavitz and his family would usually commute to New York City. This had a great impact on him and the way he viewed the

hip hop culture Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...

. Bavitz began rapping in the early 1990s. He cites

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

, BDP, KMD, and

Run DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jam Master Jay, Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as ...

as early influences. Bavitz also listened to rock acts such as

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...

, and Ministry; he was introduced to these groups by his older brother Chris. Bavitz started to play the piano and bass at an early age and eventually acquired a sampler. 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 for "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. His early records were mostly produced by his long-time friend Blockhead and underground producer

Dub-L Michael P. Delaney, better known by his stage name Dub-L, is an American record producer, recording artist and filmmaker. Early life Delaney was born and raised in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in New York City.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 Theodore Arrington II (born February 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Vast Aire, is an American rapper from New York City. He is one half of the New York hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of him and fellow rapper Vordul Mega. He is ...

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

, 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, Bavitz had a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. The song "One of Four" on his ''Daylight'' EP documents his struggles.

2001–2004: ''Labor Days'', ''Daylight'' EP, and ''Bazooka Tooth''

Shortly after releasing ''Float'', Aesop Rock signed to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

-based label

(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". Because of its popularity, ''

Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

'' 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 ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4'' is a 2002 skateboarding game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under their Activision O2 label. The game was ported by different developers to various systems. It is the fourth installment in the ' ...

''; 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. Aesop Rock live

''Labor Days'' was followed by '' Bazooka Tooth'' in 2003. For the first time, production was mostly handled by Bavitz 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 Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace). The duo is perhaps best known for their 1997 hit " Luchi ...

. 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 ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is a 2004 skateboarding video game from Activision, the sixth entry in the ''Tony Hawk's'' series after ''Tony Hawk's Underground'' (2003). It was developed by Neversoft released on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the ...

'', furthering Aesop's recognition. In 2004, he released '' Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth'' and created a contest in which contestants had to create a remix of an Aesop Rock song using the a cappellas and instrumentals.

2005–2007: ''Fast Cars'' EP, ''None Shall Pass'' and Nike+iPod

In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, ''

Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives ''Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives'' is an EP by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. Released via the Definitive Jux label on February 22, 2005, the record is produced by Blockhead and Aesop Rock himself, with the former producing three tra ...

''. 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 Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Bavitz did less production on the EP; three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by

Rob Sonic Robert Smith, better known by his stage name Rob Sonic, is an American rapper and record producer from the Bronx, New York (state), New York. He has been a member of the groups Sonic Sum and Hail Mary Mallon. He is a founder of the record label S ...

. During this time, he was asked to join The Weathermen to replace

. Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the

Nike+iPod Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

running system, entitled ''All Day''. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring Allyson Baker on guitar and with 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 contained original art by Jeremy Fish, whose work Rock set to a slideshow backed by a track titled "Tomorrow Morning". It was exhibited in San Francisco and was available for download online. ''None Shall Pass'' had positive reviews from critics and fans, applauding Aesop for his change in sound.

2008–2014: ''Skelethon'' and collaborations

After ''None Shall Pass'', Aesop Rock did not release any solo projects for several years. During this period, Definitive Jux began its indefinite hiatus; thus, Aesop Rock's next album, '' Skelethon'', was instead released through

Rhymesayers Entertainment Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis. History Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad ( Sab th ...

. The album was released on July 10, 2012, and preceded by the single "Zero Dark Thirty". After ''Skelethon''s release, Aesop Rock toured the United States to promote the album. He also performed on the first day of

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

2013. During Bavitz's hiatus from solo recording, he continued to collaborate with other musicians. In 2009, he produced

Felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

's third album, '' Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez''. He later joined frequent collaborators

and DJ Big Wiz to form the group

, through which he released two albums: 2011's '' Are You Gonna Eat That?'' and 2014's ''

Bestiary A bestiary () is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beas ...

''. Aesop Rock's collaborations during this period also include the establishment of the Uncluded, a group he formed alongside

anti-folk Anti-folk (sometimes spelled antifolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in New York City, founded by the musician, author and comedian Lach, as a reaction to the commercialization of folk music. It is characterized by its DIY ethos, ...

singer

Kimya Dawson Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American folk singer-songwriter, one half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Dawson's work with the Moldy Peaches earned them a cult following and critical acclaim, with their 2001 song " Anyone ...

the Moldy Peaches The Moldy Peaches are an American independent music, indie group founded by Adam Green (musician), Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band had been on Recess (break), hiatus since 2004, but in 2023 announ ...

. The Uncluded released their debut album, '' Hokey Fright'', on May 7, 2013,The Uncluded
. ''Rhymesayers Entertainment'', July 2, 2013. and subsequently supported it with a tour that included Rhymesayers' 2013 Summerfest.

2016–present: ''The Impossible Kid'', Malibu Ken, ''Spirit World Field Guide'', ''Integrated Tech Solutions'' and ''Black Hole Superette''

In February 2016, Aesop Rock released a music video for the song "Rings" and announced his seventh studio album '' The Impossible Kid'', which was released on April 29, 2016. "Rings" was featured in the video game '' Madden NFL 17''. In 2017, Aesop Rock scored his first film soundtrack for '' Bushwick''. In January 2019, Aesop Rock collaborated with electronic musician

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

under the name Malibu Ken. The duo released a self-titled album in the same month. In late 2020, Aesop announced his eighth solo album, titled '' Spirit World Field Guide'', along with the release of the album's first single, "The Gates". In October 2021, Aesop announced a reunion with his former producer Blockhead with the album titled ''

''. The album was released on November 12 of the same year. On December 9, 2022, Aesop Rock released the song "Pumpkin Seeds" featuring the Chicago rapper

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...

and produced by Blockhead. The song is a fundraiser for the Collaboratory, an organization promoting two local DIY skateparks in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. On September 14, 2023, Aesop Rock announced the release date of his ninth solo studio album '' Integrated Tech Solutions'', which was released on November 10, 2023. That same day, he released the single "Mindful Solutionism" along with an accompanying music video. In October 2023, he released two singles that appear on ''Integrated Tech Solutions''; "By the River" on October 5 and "Infinity Fill Goose Down" on October 26. His tenth studio album, ''Black Hole Superette'', was announced in April 2025 and released on May 30, 2025, with the song "Checkers" being released that April as its first single.

Lyrics

Critics state that Bavitz's use of words can be so detailed that it becomes difficult to determine any meaning. The lyrics are sometimes inspired by events which have occurred in Bavitz's personal life and are thus naturally prone to subjective interpretation by outsiders. Questioned about his lyrical style in an interview, Bavitz responded:

It's probably because it's not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can't help but think they simply haven't listened and are regurgitating some rumor they've heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you'd have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place.

In 2002, on the song "One of Four" (a hidden track on the ''

'' EP) Aesop Rock explains:

But I can tell you that I only write shit down when I believe it / so take this how you want but know I mean it.
— "One of Four" ''
Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...
'' EP (2002)

In May 2014, a study by Matt Daniels found that Aesop Rock's vocabulary in his music surpassed 85 other major hip-hop and rap artists, as well as Shakespeare's works and

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

's ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

''; he was cited as having the largest vocabulary in hip hop. To build up his vocabulary, he reads a lot of news and science articles and writes down all the words he finds interesting. Analysis of his lyrics identified him as the rapper with the most expansive vocabulary; using the most unique words in a rapper's first 35,000 lyrics, he had 7,839 unique words.

Personal life

In 2005, he married Allyson Baker, guitarist and vocalist of rock band Dirty Ghosts; they resided in San Francisco, but have since divorced.

Discography

* '' Music for Earthworms'' (1998) * '' Float'' (2000) * '' Labor Days'' (2001) * '' Bazooka Tooth'' (2003) * '' None Shall Pass'' (2007) * '' Skelethon'' (2012) * '' The Impossible Kid'' (2016) * '' Spirit World Field Guide'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021) (with Blockhead) * '' Integrated Tech Solutions'' (2023) * ''Black Hole Superette'' (2025)

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Mush Records BiographyAesop Rock interview and profile
in

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

magazine {{Authority control 1976 births Alternative hip-hop musicians American agnostics American electronic musicians American graffiti artists American hip-hop record producers American multi-instrumentalists 21st-century American male rappers Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni East Coast hip-hop musicians Former Roman Catholics Living people People from Syosset, New York Rappers from New York (state) Underground rappers People from Northport, New York Rhymesayers Entertainment artists 21st-century American rappers Record producers from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians Definitive Jux artists Mush Records artists The Weathermen (hip-hop group) members American people of Lithuanian descent 20th-century American male rappers