World's Fair

“What the fuck is up with scones? A muffin, I understand. A muffin is a nice plump soft cake-like flavored breakfast treat, best when fresh, and even better warm. It makes total sense to me. Wake up, coffee, muffin: Cool. Not necessarily my “thing,” but okay, fine. Then you have the scone. I actually heard they were originally invented by accident…” - Aesop Rock guest blogs @ Roy Christopher’s [READ MORE]

Oooookay Aes, whatever you say mang! We’re sure your adoring fans (watch below) will just eat yr words write up!

More videos from Aesop’s Myspace Secret Show!

Artist: Aesop Rock
Album: “None Shall Pass”
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: August 28th, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

Aesop Rock & DJ Big Wiz - “None Shall Pass” MegaMix [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

Sold Out! Check out photos from Tuesday’s show @ Myspace Secret Shows + some live videos below the awesome poster…

Aesop writes on his blog… “… thanks everyone for coming out to the free show in brooklyn! shit was very very fun. way more intimate than the irving show. irving is great, but a smaller venue is sometimes more excotomg. unfortunately i realize that meant a lot of people couldn’t get in, but i guess thats the downside of a free show at such a venue. i cant tell you how my i appreciate motherfuckers waiting out in the cold. if i could’ve brought you all in for scones and cocoa i would have, but scones are so wack and i had no cocoa….” [READ MORE]

Rob Sonic was there!

Hangar 18 was there!

CONNECT: Aesop Rock Wins | Rob Sonic | Hangar 18 | Definitive Jux

“The tracklist says Aesop Rock’s None Shall Pass ends with the spooked-out “Coffee”, featuring the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, but if you’ve actually heard the now-San Francisco-based rapper’s 2007 album (or checked out Jason Crock’s Pitchfork review), you know better. Hidden track “Pigs” is, in Crock’s words, “another seeming live track of gutbucket slide-guitar funk, once again darting sideways in the face of expectation.” It’s also a blunted, free-flowing verbal assault on all things porcine…” - Pitchfork [READ MORE]

… and in case you missed, Aes def got his dues in Best-of-2007 kudos… link away:
Amazon - #3 Top Rap Records of 2007!
#56 @ Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs
VH1.com Top 20 Videos - Staff Picks

Gig-wise, Aes surprises T.O. with a slam before jumpin’ into his getaway car bound for Europe!

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

Aes picks out his Top 10 albums of 2007 including the Wu’s new joint up against Ghostface’s new joint up against label boss El-P’s stellar comeback earlier this year… [READ MORE]

Aes makes the AllMusic Best Hip Hop Albums of the year! [READ MORE]

Meanwhile, the video for “None Shall Pass” gets voted up on MTV2 Subterranean’s Best Music Videos of 2007! [WATCH]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

Catch the 2-part premiere of ManiaTV’s massive interview with Aesop Rock on Monday, December 17, 2007 for part 1 and Wednesday, December 19, 2007 for part 2 at 1pm EST. Please note that piece now airs again on the main channel on Flipside Tuesday (Dec. 18th) and Saturday (Dec. 22nd) (part 1) at 1pm EST and Thursday (Dec. 20th) and Sunday (Dec. 23rd) (part 2)… Or just peep the Video-on-demand right hurr:

Aesop Rock - Interview @ Flipside / ManiaTV [WATCH]

Peep this, Aes Rizzle honored in his hometown rag for blowin’ up 2007 with “None Shall Pass”!

Plus,
“None Shall Pass” makes Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2007, at #56!

“Cate Blanchett’s Jude Quin may have been 2007’s most effective channeling of 1965/66 Bob Dylan, but Aesop Rock’s “None Shall Pass”– the most appealing single yet from the verbose Def Juxer– hits the same judgmental notes as “Positively 4th Street” and “Like a Rolling Stone”. Attempts to decipher or decode Aesop’s lyrics are often futile, but here, Biblical retribution is called for as he aims his vengeance at those who preach one thing and practice another. This includes those who “flash that buttery gold” as well as “comply and conform, miles outside of the eye of the storm.” It’s nothing Aesop hasn’t tried dozens of times before, but “None Shall Pass” is a step above: He lithely and calmly navigates Blockhead’s beat-the-clock track, the virtuosity of his delivery making the song undeniable.” - Pitchfork

Aesop Rock - “None Shall Pass” [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

El-P sweeps up nominations in the categories:
Album Of The Year
Album Of The Year - Hip Hop
Tour Award
MVP Of The Year
The Dilla Award - Producer Of The Year

Aesop Rock picks up nomination honor for:
Album Of The Year - Hip Hop

but its YOUR VOTE that will be the clincher so hop to it!

Meanwhile, pick up or download the latest issue of XLR8R for more kudos! El wins Best Artist honors - “This guys as a manic and serious multi-tasker, but above all, he is obviously super-smart”, while Aes is hailed for being an “unfathomable mindwarp”! [READ MORE]

& don’t forget to vote for both jukies @ the Plug Awards too! Time is tricking out, act now, get yours, get ours, let the haters get theirs!

Artist: El-P
Album: I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead [E-CARD]
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: March 20th, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

Artist: Aesop Rock
Album: “None Shall Pass”
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: August 28th, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | El-Meem | El-space | Aes-Meem | Aes-Space

Tune in to the recent interview @ PRI Fair Game.

Aesop Rock - Interview On PRI Fair Game w/ Faith Salie [LISTEN]

Def Jukies get hype - Aes hints at an upcoming Weathermen album in the MOKB Holiday Interview Series!

MOKB : Hey Aesop, what are you working on or have you been working on? What can we expect in 2008?

Aesop Rock : Well, I literally just got home from tour a few days ago. The tour for my album None Shall Pass pretty much ate up the last quarter of this year for me. Since I got home I did a remix for Del. I’m working on a couple guest spots on DJ Signify’s next record. Working on a remix for a song off the next Mountain Goats album, and starting on a new book-collab with Jeremy Fish. As for 2008, it’ll probably be a lot of odds and ends and maybe some weird stuff. Probably not a full length album for ‘08, but I wanna do a bunch of weird shit, side work, and projects similar to what me and Jeremy have been doing. Also hopefully get started on this Weathermen album in some capacity. - My Old Kentucky Blog [READ MORE]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

Aesop Rock - “Puff Tuff” [STREAM]
B-side to the limited edition 7″ for “None Shall Pass” available directly from Def Jux Pharmacy:

Plus, peep the sweet Aes Rizzle Ts & merch…

“The label said they were cracking down on us for samples more than ever before, and that we couldn’t use five of the songs,” Rock remembers. “I kind of had a nervous breakdown, because we were basically done with the record. I’d never been busted for a sample before, and all of the ones we’d used were pretty obscure. I was almost like, ‘Fuck it—take it or leave it. I’ll give it to someone else or I’ll give it away for free.’ It was that frustrating. But we went in with people who could play the instruments and basically reworked stuff…. I ended up thinking that most of them turned out.” - Aesop Rock @ Nashville Scene [READ MORE]

“Rock has said he has no interest in signing to a major label, maintaining his longtime loyalty to acclaimed New York outfit Definitive Jux. Nonetheless, his indie cred was called into question last year when he composed a 45-minute track for the Nike + iPod Sports Kit. (The gizmo is designed to get you pumped up while jogging.) He added fuel to the flames after agreeing to be MTV’s artist of the week in September. Hecklers on his MySpace page accused him of selling out… Rock denies the allegation, and adds that the outcry mystified him. He was nonetheless pleased when None Shall Pass opened to bigger sales than any of his previous albums, however, debuting at No. 50 on the Billboard 200.” - Creative Loafing [READ MORE]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | Aesop Rock Wins

Vote now for many of our awesomest videos this year on MTV2 Subterranean’s best of 2007 countdown! See the results on 12/17 on MTV2 at 1AM EST

CONNECT: WorldTube

It’s time already again to cast your votes for Plug 2008!

And, OUR nominees are…

Artist Of The Year = El-P

Female Artist Of The Year = Sharon Jones

Male Artist Of The Year = El-P

Hip Hop Album Of The Year = Aesop Rock and El-P - tuff choice!

Live Act Of The Year = Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

DJ Album Of The Year = 2 nominations for Fabric!
Ricardo Villalobos - Fabric 36 (Fabric)
Ewan Pearson - Fabric 35 (Fabric)

Music Video Of The Year = Aesop Rock’s “None Shall Pass”

Record Label Of The Year = Definitive Jux

Do the right thing = Vote!

CONNECT: Plug Awards