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Three people rebelling in their youth. Zoso is a reference to Led Zeppelin's fouth album, carved into a desk. Zulu gets markered onto some chuck taylors, Not positive but I believed based on the era and genre he's referencing an early 80's funk song. The Zeros, are a mid 70's Punk Rock band, whose name gets written in the bathroom stall. Just a song about three different people performing three different acts of rebellion referencing music.
Okay, you want to know? I'll let you know. ZZZ Top, an reference to the band ZZ Top, tells the story of 3 people who write/carve a word starting with Z on/into something. The first is a kid in school carving 'Zoso', using a blade he stole from his sibling, into a school desk. Zoso is a word written on a Led Zeppelin album and is supposed to be a rune or possibly a demon of some sort. This guy is wearing acid wash jeans and has a pot leaf tattoo that his buddy did while he was drunk. This is a troubled kid. The line which includes, 'Watch. Capital zed.' is Aes describing the actual act of carving the letters into the desk. The second character is writing the word 'Zulu' on his Chuck's, a type of shoe. They were inspired to do this because of their love of Afrika Bambatta, a band that is referenced heavily in this verse. This person is struggling with their parents and is often out on the street, running from trouble. Said parents were hoping the shoes would last 3 years and right off the bat, their owner is tagging them up. Again, the line with, 'Capital zed', is Aes describing the act of writing the word on the shoes. Lastly, we have someone at a concert who goes to the bathroom to smoke and have sex. After the act, this person writes 'zeroes' over a bunch of bands posted up on the walls of the stall. Again, 'Capital zed.' I shouldn't have to explain by now. This person is a punk who places a great deal of value in being loyal to independent acts who don't compromise with their lyrics or sound. The chorus speaks of people who feel like their youth is dying. They are fighting to keep it alive. They believe that this spirit has value and should be nurtured, that it may grow into something worth the effort.
Did you figure this shit out all by yourself!!?? Ha!! Aesop can write some complicated, thought provoking shit about very ordinary things. Why I love him
@@keithsmyly2395 there was a video series a while back on the rhymesayers channel where aes explained all the songs in skelethon upon it’s release but i can’t remember if he went into this much depth
I was just listening to his songs and that line about hes ten chewing on a sweet tart. I always hear it as tenchu'n on a sweet tart. As in putting the moves on a chick. Tenchu was a ninja stealth game back on one of those older systems
Most Aesop songs he'll take a pretty simple concept, and then just go absolutely insane with it. This one's about three kids, a rocker, a hip hop fan, and a punk. Zoso is a Led Zeppelin* reference (RIP me, thought it was Hendrix), Zulu's from "Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation" (I'm not even sure what that's about), and the Zeros are a punk band. I think an important part of getting into Aesop is understanding his mentality, he's a complete loner and seems to hate the spotlight, most other musicians, and especially himself. He'll constantly refer to himself (usually in the 3rd person) as a bum, lowlife, etc. and is hellbent on not letting his success get to his head since he views hip hop as something that has to come from the bottom/the streets (I'll see you at the bottom, ZZZ top). His newest album "Impossible Kid" is probably the easiest to get into since he worked a lot on refining his message and lyrics, while still keeping it crazy poetic. "Dorks" is a great intro song to him, pretty much being a diss track against everyone.
This right here. I think the main message of the song is that as a teenager, with relatively little autonomy, no matter the culture your outlet for teenage angst is the same; shitty graffiti and mild vandalism. Carving a desk, decorating chucks with sharpie even though your moms will be pissed, and drawing on the bathroom stall. That expression of taking power for yourself and leaving your mark is universal and unchanging.
btw zulu is most likely referring to "a tribe called quest" a super popular hip hop group in the 90s who often referred to themselves as the "zulu nation"
"Zed" is Z. Each verse is about a different person rebelliously scribbling musical references onto various items. It's just explained in a very poetic way and surrounded with a lot of imagery and such.
Aeosp is a genius. His flow and delivery is beauty to behold. He lyrics are layers upon layer of metaphor and mean something else different each time to listen. Impossible Kid is probably his most accessible album but even then it can have lots of hidden layers. Also Malibu Key and Uncluded are some interesting side projects. His new track KOWP is epic and that beat.. oh my
@@JackXombi agreed. I'm such a sucker for his earlier sound too like Labor Days and Float albums were pretty much crucial in developing my broad taste in music
just to add, the chart where it showed highest vocabulary it was based on the 1st 30k words meaning he clapped everyone with his first 30k words and is still expanding, busdriver was on the updated version aswell with a close second and his songs are great, like aes they can be quite detached from normal hiphop but a lot of amazing songs.
Shakespeare used more than twice as many words as aesop. Based on the study you reference it is unique 7,3XX words in his first 35k lyrics. Shakespeare used 20,000 words and is responsible for creating 1,700 english words.
Basically, three tales of rebellious graffiti, each referring to a different band. A kid carves "ZOSO" (Led Zeppelin) into a desk at school with a switchblade he nicked from his brother, another kid magic-markers "ZULU" (Afrika Bambaataa) on his Chucks and his mom bursts in to scold him for "ruining" the sneakers she'd worked to buy him, while a third kid in a bathroom stall at a punk club looks at all the graffiti there before adding "ZEROS" (a SoCal punk band) in lipstick that he snatches from a girl he just fucked in the stall. Aes has a particular vernacular all his own, like a language you learn and become more fluent in, the more you listen to his lyrics. It's all in the imagery he uses, often thick with symbolism and metaphors, and his outstanding vocabulary. No one else quite has what Aesop Rock has, in that department.
@@fmfsports1746 NEED to have that duality of daylight/nightlight. I've yet to see someone react to it and actually realize the contrast between the two songs and that, in itself, is utterly infuriating.
The lyrics are about the 3 different paths you can take musically when you’re young, and how that can inform the type of teenage behavior/angst you experience. Each Z represents a different genre of music/counter culture, or road of rebellion you can take as a youth which can be like a costume you wear and a posture you can present as on your journey to finding out who you are as you grow up. Z- Zoso (name of a led zepplin album), rocker/stoner Z-Zulu (name of the hip hop awareness concept/collective started by Africa Bambatta) hip/hop rap culture. Z-Zero (a type of shirt punk rockers would wear) punks.
Aes is my favorite rapper, bar none. Dude not only has a ridiculous vocabulary, insane wordplay, and excellent flow, but for his last few albums he's done all his own production, too. If you wanna check out more of his stuff, I'd recommend the songs Dorks, Kirby, No Regrets, or None Shall Pass; if you want something a bit lighter with the same level of skill, check out Hail Mary Mallon- it's a collab he did with another rapper and a DJ, they only released 2 albums but they're both super fun. As to what the hell he's talking about in this one, it's actually pretty simple when you get past the obscure word choices. Each verse is about a rebellious kid carving or writing a particular word in a way that's meaningful to them. The kid with the switchblade carves "Zoso" in his desk (Zoso is a reference to Led Zeppelin's 4th album, specifically one of the symbols on the cover art), the second kid writes "Zulu" (as in the Zulu Nation; the kid's obviously a fan of Afrika Bambaatta) on his Chucks and gets in trouble with his mom for it, the third is a punk rocker at a show who writes the name of his favorite band on the venue's bathroom mirror. Each verse starts out giving you a brief glimpse at what the kid's life is like, describes what they're writing, and then goes into talking about the kinds of attitudes these kids carry through life; first one's a rebellious edgy type with a homemade pot leaf tattoo and a switchblade in his locker who's resistant to the idea that school will do him any good, second one's a kid trying to find a sense of community and identity through hip-hop, and the third's a punk who's trying his hardest to keep punk's scene and message alive in what he views as a world full of bullshit. In case it's not blindingly obvious, I have both a tendency to over-explain things and also way too much time on my hands.
Aesop Rock is a big rabbit hole and a journey worth taking. If you want to pave the early road with some less-layered metaphors, I recommend: Drums on the Wheel (it's video games) ; Rings ; 9-5ers Anthem. And if you would like to explode your brain, listen to Daylight and Nightlight back-to-back with the lyrics. "I'm hoping you all grow into the sentience you assume as your moment of self-reflection is a moment for me too." -Aesop Rock (Klutz)
EmptyGoat look. With the steel chair sure to sure to serve the veal rare. Brush up your evasions and basic tactical field care.. Aes is the best rabbit hole in earth.
Aesop raps with a ridiculous amount of obscure references and metaphors combined with masterful wordplay and interestingly enough aesop was the name of a renowned Greek philosopher/storyteller making his name very fitting
I have been listening to Ace for about 20 years now and I still can't completely decipher everything his lyrics mean. This song as far as I can tell is talking about how teenagers struggle to find identity though the music and pop culture they identity with. There is more to it than that I'm sure, but that is what I have taken from it so far. There are references to classic rock, punk,funk and hip hop, video games and more. That's a lot of the fun to listening to Aesop Rock is puzzling together the meaning of his lyrics.
My kids and I watch all your reactions and love them. You have to do some more Aesop Rock. I love to hear what you have to say (maybe “The Gates” first song of new album)
Decypering Aesop rock Lyrics should be a fucking college class, tbh. I've heard this song for years and thought I had an idea of what he was getting at, but see the lyrics trips me up completely
Nice some authentic 90's underground hip hop. Some of the best labels to ever embrace this scene, Rhymesayers, Def Jux, Stones Throw, Galapagos 4 and Anticon. They weren't emcees they were poetic beasts with some of the most intricate lyrics hip hop has ever seen.
As much as I would love to break down the lyrics and explain every reference, I simply don't have the time. It's just too much. I recommend looking up a song rationale for this track. Oh, and one more thing... Please do more Aesop Rock. I'm geared more towards metal, but Aes has been one of my top ten for over a decade. He's really the only hip hop/rap I listen to. Absolute genius. Check out "Gopher Guts" for a really introspective look into how he views himself.
@Master Carbuncle I'll agree with you that there is a certain amount of esoteric knowledge you need to have to understand his lyrics. Hell, I've had to look stuff up before after listening to a track of his. But, I don't know, I enjoy that. I like having someone rap about stuff I half-know so that I can educate myself on the other half. And just from my own personal standpoint, I don't think he wants to "blow up" or become famous. He knows his role in the game and I think he's content with where he is. Fame would destroy him.
@Carbuncle If you don’t like Aesop that’s cool. He’s not for everyone, and he definitely hasn’t tried to venture out of his cult audience. He is, however highly respected in the rap community. Regardless if you enjoy him, anyone that is a fan of rap can acknowledge his incredibly unique rapping style, ability and mastery of the English vocabulary. He does not spit schizophrenic word salad. His songs are not nonsensical.
@@Lebowski55 They might sound that way at first. But after sitting with the lyrics for a bit and doing some research, the lyrics make sense. For example, his line about floating past a "pink dwarf" in "Drums On The Wheel" seemed like gibberish. But after a quick Google search, it turns out that there was recently a pink dwarf planet discovered in our solar system, which happens to be the farthest celestial body we've observed. And in the context of the song, it makes perfect sense.
@Master Carbuncle At the end of the day, it's just nice to hear rap that's not about money and Xanax. I know there are other artists who don't rap about those topics. I guess I just like Aesop's voice.
Yo man I love you did some aesop rock....most people are scared of him...I like your into it wait till one of his songs grab you tha right way.......try his song klutz....the official video......I'm sure most would agree it's a great one for you to start with for him
Zoso is a reference to Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin. From wikipedia " Page designed his very own symbol (Zoso ). Though it resembles the alchemical symbol for Saturn, its meaning remains a mystery" Each member of the band had their own symbolic knickname and symbol like this.
Dude. Please do more Aesop Rock. Please!!! Maybe look up a synopsis next time beforehand, though. His lyrics are near impossible to completely decode the first time through, as I'm sure you realized. But when you get it, it hits like a freight train. I would recommend starting with something off of "Impossible Kid", maybe Blood Sandwich.
Or Daylight or literally any of this guys shit! but seriously get yourself the Lyrics up or even just Genius let be honest noones getting this shit on the first listen..
Long time subscriber and fan I’d love to see you do more Aesop. Most reactors don’t come with lyrics and just can’t keep up at all or try to write it off as nonsense. Sure sign you’re a smart man is when you know enough to know that nobody gets Aes on their first go. Do “Rings” or “Coffee” next.
The basics of the song as my interpretation are three kids with different backgrounds and music tastes realizing how much the music means to them and using either carving it into a desk, writing on their shoes or writing on a venue bathroom stall. Zoso is for Led Zeppelin, Zulu is for Zulu Nation, and The Zeroes were a punk band. Listen to it again with that and it makes a bit more sense.
Hey man, found your channel because of my love for Aesop. I'll be checking out more of your reactions today but you got a subscriber! If you do check out Aes again, I'd suggest Pigs, Rings, 9-5ers Anthem, Shrunk or No Regrets. Those songs have a more straightforward point so you should be able to understand it but his vocab still shines.
Yo breaking down verse one, dude carves led Zeppelin moniker into his school desk because the lecture is making him dumber, a story about a teenager who feels like highschool isnt doing its job infact maybe the opposite. The hook is about how more important events are birthed and destroyed in the gaps our knowledge through our bleak upbringings... 2nd verse zulu on the chucks should be ez , homies a fan of protest bands like rage against the machine and put the 90e equivalent of black lives matter on his converse kicks with a sharpie ... The final verse is about a whistleblower publishing the dirty secrets of their employer and the synopsis i get is these three stories are strung together with the commonality that they are essentially three different "graffiti" artists who are revolting from the systematic failures we are all born into.
1 a kid brought a knife to school 2 that kid got worse, found nunchucks later on, broke some property (amen) 3 He fucked up his sneakers, and his gf made fun of him for it 4 The kid gave up on gangworld aspirations to follow academic art 5 The kid was institutionalized 6 The kid tried to leave treatment, but got caught 7 the kid got out, but is at a new 0 state - new beginnings. (the mentioned letters in the final 8 bars spell zero) "I told my ex in 87 I was falling on my weapon" -water tower - impossible kid, aesop Down to talk, pls
pretty sure graffiti-ing ZULU on your Chucks (converse) is a reference to Zulu nation (afrikka Bambattaa) and Renegades of Funk is one of Bambaataa's songs which the cover of the single was in a buckle font. :)
1st video of your I’ve watched, Your on point Aesop Rock takes a while to unpack. Once you get into him, There will be shit you’re figuring out a year later lol I got something for you to check out Jail break B. Dolan Buck 65 Aesop Rock(his part is So Sick!) One of the best videos ever made Lyrics on point from start to end
Whoever suggested you react to Aesop Rock set you up. It’s nearly impossible to understand and break down on one listen. Most lyrical rapper to ever touch a mic. He spits pure art.
Aesop Rock is my motherfucking dude Big up for actually stepping outside to listen to other shit people don’t. You reacted to the songs that I listen to without me saying a word so I’m down with the channel Homie that’s what’s up. Yo if you can check out that Rob sonic or that Hail Mary Mallon all the joints are that real shitI would recommend the song krill
Do daylight by aesop rock or 9-5ers anthem by aesop rock, they are both a lot easier to understand. This one here is a tough first song to try to get into aes rock
Aesop Rock is spectacular. But trying to figure out what the fuck he's talking about is a real job. I'm a big fan of going through it all and working it out, though.
My dude! This song is one of the purest to the four basic elements of hip-hop written! All it's lacking is the break dancing. But the official video is full of martial arts so I count it as valid. It's about graffiti and if you're good at something artistic, no matter how antisocial it's deemed, lean into it and do it well!
Aesop Rock, one of the deepest and densest lyricists to grace a mic. Rare to understood this dude on the first listen. This wouldn't have been my first choice for a reaction vid, but yo, i got so much love and fandom for his skills and tight production... the meaning of this song is described well by others here... so i'll skip it. but the actual music video for this track is fulla crazyass action, kungfu stylee.
also, i gotta admit that he uses a lot of NYC vernacular, even though he don't hail from Brooklyn these days... for example, the kid tagging Zulu (for the Zulu nation), Aes mentions the vandal squad, that's a specific police task force set up to go after graf kids, know all the graffiti writers and the crews all-city. i suppose most non-new york heads might not know it. Some of Aes's lyrics can be unapologetically from a NY experience.
I swear, this guy transcends the art form a lot... much like a Mos Def or Doom, he does something so different with the same tools. Pac and Big are the most famous and stand out being genius... but some of the greatest will never be as widely known because they hit tilt on the whole damn machine.
The letter Z is called Zed in the UK or anywhere England conquered. So when you say your A B C's your going through from A to Zed. Zulu is spelt Zed-U-L-U
aesop rock is one of the greatest rappers of all time..... but the problem is, only SMART PEOPLE can get into it.... it's not written for the lowest common denominator like so many pop songs are these days. that's why taylor swift and crap like that is so popular, you can be a 7 year old kid and follow along to the simplistic lyrics....... aesop rock makes you want to pull out the dictionary AND the thesaurus
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:-: You could never get bored of listening to Aesop..
Three people rebelling in their youth. Zoso is a reference to Led Zeppelin's fouth album, carved into a desk. Zulu gets markered onto some chuck taylors, Not positive but I believed based on the era and genre he's referencing an early 80's funk song. The Zeros, are a mid 70's Punk Rock band, whose name gets written in the bathroom stall. Just a song about three different people performing three different acts of rebellion referencing music.
@@lynchlychfeld :-: Woooooooow.. you Serious.. Smh Aesop never disappoints.
Moar of Aesop rock would be amazing. Also consider DZK (Andrew Jackson) outta NOVA
Okay, you want to know? I'll let you know. ZZZ Top, an reference to the band ZZ Top, tells the story of 3 people who write/carve a word starting with Z on/into something. The first is a kid in school carving 'Zoso', using a blade he stole from his sibling, into a school desk. Zoso is a word written on a Led Zeppelin album and is supposed to be a rune or possibly a demon of some sort. This guy is wearing acid wash jeans and has a pot leaf tattoo that his buddy did while he was drunk. This is a troubled kid. The line which includes, 'Watch. Capital zed.' is Aes describing the actual act of carving the letters into the desk.
The second character is writing the word 'Zulu' on his Chuck's, a type of shoe. They were inspired to do this because of their love of Afrika Bambatta, a band that is referenced heavily in this verse. This person is struggling with their parents and is often out on the street, running from trouble. Said parents were hoping the shoes would last 3 years and right off the bat, their owner is tagging them up. Again, the line with, 'Capital zed', is Aes describing the act of writing the word on the shoes.
Lastly, we have someone at a concert who goes to the bathroom to smoke and have sex. After the act, this person writes 'zeroes' over a bunch of bands posted up on the walls of the stall. Again, 'Capital zed.' I shouldn't have to explain by now. This person is a punk who places a great deal of value in being loyal to independent acts who don't compromise with their lyrics or sound.
The chorus speaks of people who feel like their youth is dying. They are fighting to keep it alive. They believe that this spirit has value and should be nurtured, that it may grow into something worth the effort.
great summary man
Did you figure this shit out all by yourself!!?? Ha!! Aesop can write some complicated, thought provoking shit about very ordinary things. Why I love him
@@keithsmyly2395 there was a video series a while back on the rhymesayers channel where aes explained all the songs in skelethon upon it’s release but i can’t remember if he went into this much depth
The 3 characters are Aes and his two brothers. Aes is the middle verse.
🎯❤️💯
Aes is someone that you can listen to for YEARS and still find new/different meaning in his lyrics.
Truth
I was just listening to his songs and that line about hes ten chewing on a sweet tart. I always hear it as tenchu'n on a sweet tart. As in putting the moves on a chick. Tenchu was a ninja stealth game back on one of those older systems
as a decade+ fan, can confirm
Most Aesop songs he'll take a pretty simple concept, and then just go absolutely insane with it. This one's about three kids, a rocker, a hip hop fan, and a punk. Zoso is a Led Zeppelin* reference (RIP me, thought it was Hendrix), Zulu's from "Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation" (I'm not even sure what that's about), and the Zeros are a punk band. I think an important part of getting into Aesop is understanding his mentality, he's a complete loner and seems to hate the spotlight, most other musicians, and especially himself. He'll constantly refer to himself (usually in the 3rd person) as a bum, lowlife, etc. and is hellbent on not letting his success get to his head since he views hip hop as something that has to come from the bottom/the streets (I'll see you at the bottom, ZZZ top). His newest album "Impossible Kid" is probably the easiest to get into since he worked a lot on refining his message and lyrics, while still keeping it crazy poetic. "Dorks" is a great intro song to him, pretty much being a diss track against everyone.
impossible kid is the easiest to get into, are you including malibu ken as a not aesop project as it was him and tobacco?
This right here. I think the main message of the song is that as a teenager, with relatively little autonomy, no matter the culture your outlet for teenage angst is the same; shitty graffiti and mild vandalism. Carving a desk, decorating chucks with sharpie even though your moms will be pissed, and drawing on the bathroom stall. That expression of taking power for yourself and leaving your mark is universal and unchanging.
Hail Mary Mallon, too. He and Rob Sonic are just fire.
btw zulu is most likely referring to "a tribe called quest" a super popular hip hop group in the 90s who often referred to themselves as the "zulu nation"
This is excellently put man
"Zed" is Z. Each verse is about a different person rebelliously scribbling musical references onto various items. It's just explained in a very poetic way and surrounded with a lot of imagery and such.
Thanks
I was about to explain
Aeosp is a genius. His flow and delivery is beauty to behold. He lyrics are layers upon layer of metaphor and mean something else different each time to listen.
Impossible Kid is probably his most accessible album but even then it can have lots of hidden layers. Also Malibu Key and Uncluded are some interesting side projects. His new track KOWP is epic and that beat.. oh my
Aesop Rock? U got my attention. He has the highest vocabulary in hiphop using more unique words in all of his discography combined than Shakespeare
Even in the Punk and Metal community Aesop Rock gets a lot of respect. Also, I don't know ANYONE who hasn't fallen in love with Kirby.
@@JackXombi agreed. I'm such a sucker for his earlier sound too like Labor Days and Float albums were pretty much crucial in developing my broad taste in music
just to add, the chart where it showed highest vocabulary it was based on the 1st 30k words meaning he clapped everyone with his first 30k words and is still expanding, busdriver was on the updated version aswell with a close second and his songs are great, like aes they can be quite detached from normal hiphop but a lot of amazing songs.
Now how do we turn him on to Deltron 3030?
Shakespeare used more than twice as many words as aesop. Based on the study you reference it is unique 7,3XX words in his first 35k lyrics. Shakespeare used 20,000 words and is responsible for creating 1,700 english words.
Basically, three tales of rebellious graffiti, each referring to a different band. A kid carves "ZOSO" (Led Zeppelin) into a desk at school with a switchblade he nicked from his brother, another kid magic-markers "ZULU" (Afrika Bambaataa) on his Chucks and his mom bursts in to scold him for "ruining" the sneakers she'd worked to buy him, while a third kid in a bathroom stall at a punk club looks at all the graffiti there before adding "ZEROS" (a SoCal punk band) in lipstick that he snatches from a girl he just fucked in the stall.
Aes has a particular vernacular all his own, like a language you learn and become more fluent in, the more you listen to his lyrics. It's all in the imagery he uses, often thick with symbolism and metaphors, and his outstanding vocabulary. No one else quite has what Aesop Rock has, in that department.
wow whoever requested this is a G, this is one of my favorite rappers. Check out the song Daylight next!
Daylight is great, but then, Aes is one of my favs too.
🤘🏽✌🏽
Ace is so underrated.
If you do daylight you've gotta pair it with nightlight
@@fmfsports1746 NEED to have that duality of daylight/nightlight. I've yet to see someone react to it and actually realize the contrast between the two songs and that, in itself, is utterly infuriating.
I think you kind of have to listen to daylight right before you listen to night light just to get the absolute genious of the combination of songs.
This dude is one of my elites in my playlist for years.....he is absolutely tha best at what he does
The lyrics are about the 3 different paths you can take musically when you’re young, and how that can inform the type of teenage behavior/angst you experience. Each Z represents a different genre of music/counter culture, or road of rebellion you can take as a youth which can be like a costume you wear and a posture you can present as on your journey to finding out who you are as you grow up.
Z- Zoso (name of a led zepplin album), rocker/stoner
Z-Zulu (name of the hip hop awareness concept/collective started by Africa Bambatta) hip/hop rap culture.
Z-Zero (a type of shirt punk rockers would wear) punks.
Aes is my favorite rapper, bar none. Dude not only has a ridiculous vocabulary, insane wordplay, and excellent flow, but for his last few albums he's done all his own production, too. If you wanna check out more of his stuff, I'd recommend the songs Dorks, Kirby, No Regrets, or None Shall Pass; if you want something a bit lighter with the same level of skill, check out Hail Mary Mallon- it's a collab he did with another rapper and a DJ, they only released 2 albums but they're both super fun.
As to what the hell he's talking about in this one, it's actually pretty simple when you get past the obscure word choices. Each verse is about a rebellious kid carving or writing a particular word in a way that's meaningful to them. The kid with the switchblade carves "Zoso" in his desk (Zoso is a reference to Led Zeppelin's 4th album, specifically one of the symbols on the cover art), the second kid writes "Zulu" (as in the Zulu Nation; the kid's obviously a fan of Afrika Bambaatta) on his Chucks and gets in trouble with his mom for it, the third is a punk rocker at a show who writes the name of his favorite band on the venue's bathroom mirror. Each verse starts out giving you a brief glimpse at what the kid's life is like, describes what they're writing, and then goes into talking about the kinds of attitudes these kids carry through life; first one's a rebellious edgy type with a homemade pot leaf tattoo and a switchblade in his locker who's resistant to the idea that school will do him any good, second one's a kid trying to find a sense of community and identity through hip-hop, and the third's a punk who's trying his hardest to keep punk's scene and message alive in what he views as a world full of bullshit.
In case it's not blindingly obvious, I have both a tendency to over-explain things and also way too much time on my hands.
Aesop Rock is an old school lyricist & wordsmith. I appreciate you putting effort into understanding.
Aesop Rock is a big rabbit hole and a journey worth taking. If you want to pave the early road with some less-layered metaphors, I recommend: Drums on the Wheel (it's video games) ; Rings ; 9-5ers Anthem.
And if you would like to explode your brain, listen to Daylight and Nightlight back-to-back with the lyrics.
"I'm hoping you all grow into the sentience you assume as your moment of self-reflection is a moment for me too." -Aesop Rock (Klutz)
EmptyGoat look. With the steel chair sure to sure to serve the veal rare. Brush up your evasions and basic tactical field care..
Aes is the best rabbit hole in earth.
I love how impeccable aesop rocks lyricism is while also riding that beat like a mongol rides his horse.
Aesop raps with a ridiculous amount of obscure references and metaphors combined with masterful wordplay and interestingly enough aesop was the name of a renowned Greek philosopher/storyteller making his name very fitting
This was his first song for me forever ago and it did the same thing to me! My face was twisted up from first beat to last bar💀
First time aes listeners: “idk wtf I’m lookin at bruh.”
10 yr aes vets: “uuh, well...”
20 yr aes vets: “bitch that’s how we like it”
I have been listening to Ace for about 20 years now and I still can't completely decipher everything his lyrics mean. This song as far as I can tell is talking about how teenagers struggle to find identity though the music and pop culture they identity with. There is more to it than that I'm sure, but that is what I have taken from it so far. There are references to classic rock, punk,funk and hip hop, video games and more. That's a lot of the fun to listening to Aesop Rock is puzzling together the meaning of his lyrics.
Man, keep reacting to Aesop, he’s a monster. Also, R.A. dropped a new album today, you should check it out.
My kids and I watch all your reactions and love them. You have to do some more Aesop Rock. I love to hear what you have to say (maybe “The Gates” first song of new album)
Aesop Rock is probably the most lyrical hip hop artist on earth. Great reaction
Zoso, zulu, zeros. Three graffiti writers meetin up and livin a day in the life of teenage vandals. ZZZ Top
Aesop Rock - Daylight
Nightlight
Killing Time
"This joint is vying for the stank face" will be my new "Hello" from now on. I thank you sir for enriching my thesaurus or whatever the fk.
Can’t fuck with Aesop! Dopest.
Love the nod to Jimmy Paige!! Long Live ZoSo!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
3 genres of music lovers from 3 different decades all outcast finding themselves and acceptance in music
Decypering Aesop rock Lyrics should be a fucking college class, tbh. I've heard this song for years and thought I had an idea of what he was getting at, but see the lyrics trips me up completely
I'm always down for some Aes.
And the Freedom Finger drop seems very appropriate nowadays.
🤘🏽✌🏽
aesop rock- kirby
just so much fun
Great reaction but it's crazy how so many people are late to The Aesop party..been bumpin the Goat since 97 in this piece! Yeeee!!!
G.O.A.T.
Aesop Rock is the GOAT, no doubt.
Nice some authentic 90's underground hip hop. Some of the best labels to ever embrace this scene, Rhymesayers, Def Jux, Stones Throw, Galapagos 4 and Anticon. They weren't emcees they were poetic beasts with some of the most intricate lyrics hip hop has ever seen.
Thanks for bustin ass and getting all these videos. It's nice to sit down, relax and just watch! Van keepin us sane during the rona😜
As much as I would love to break down the lyrics and explain every reference, I simply don't have the time. It's just too much. I recommend looking up a song rationale for this track. Oh, and one more thing...
Please do more Aesop Rock. I'm geared more towards metal, but Aes has been one of my top ten for over a decade. He's really the only hip hop/rap I listen to. Absolute genius. Check out "Gopher Guts" for a really introspective look into how he views himself.
@Master Carbuncle I'll agree with you that there is a certain amount of esoteric knowledge you need to have to understand his lyrics. Hell, I've had to look stuff up before after listening to a track of his. But, I don't know, I enjoy that. I like having someone rap about stuff I half-know so that I can educate myself on the other half.
And just from my own personal standpoint, I don't think he wants to "blow up" or become famous. He knows his role in the game and I think he's content with where he is. Fame would destroy him.
@Carbuncle If you don’t like Aesop that’s cool. He’s not for everyone, and he definitely hasn’t tried to venture out of his cult audience. He is, however highly respected in the rap community. Regardless if you enjoy him, anyone that is a fan of rap can acknowledge his incredibly unique rapping style, ability and mastery of the English vocabulary.
He does not spit schizophrenic word salad. His songs are not nonsensical.
@carbuncle cool
@@Lebowski55 They might sound that way at first. But after sitting with the lyrics for a bit and doing some research, the lyrics make sense. For example, his line about floating past a "pink dwarf" in "Drums On The Wheel" seemed like gibberish. But after a quick Google search, it turns out that there was recently a pink dwarf planet discovered in our solar system, which happens to be the farthest celestial body we've observed. And in the context of the song, it makes perfect sense.
@Master Carbuncle At the end of the day, it's just nice to hear rap that's not about money and Xanax. I know there are other artists who don't rap about those topics. I guess I just like Aesop's voice.
Give it a month thats the best part of aesop
The verses each cover a different scene of music in the 70s-80s. Heavy metal, hip hop, and punk rock.
you don't know what Aes is sayin' but it *feels* like the truth, don't it?
Finally somebody likes this jam. ZZZ
Aesop Rock : Daylight
keep pumping out the reactions brother
Please do Kirby! It is one of the consumable aesop rock songs!
Love your reaction bro! It's completely fucking genuine / organic / real!
I'm in your boat bro this was like tryna solve a 1960 Russian riddle
Yo man I love you did some aesop rock....most people are scared of him...I like your into it wait till one of his songs grab you tha right way.......try his song klutz....the official video......I'm sure most would agree it's a great one for you to start with for him
Zoso is a reference to Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin. From wikipedia " Page designed his very own symbol (Zoso ). Though it resembles the alchemical symbol for Saturn, its meaning remains a mystery" Each member of the band had their own symbolic knickname and symbol like this.
Check no regrets! You'll have no regrets!
Dude. Please do more Aesop Rock. Please!!! Maybe look up a synopsis next time beforehand, though. His lyrics are near impossible to completely decode the first time through, as I'm sure you realized. But when you get it, it hits like a freight train. I would recommend starting with something off of "Impossible Kid", maybe Blood Sandwich.
Gained a Sub my guy, This got my attention, do Aesop rock: Coffee next please?
Or Daylight or literally any of this guys shit! but seriously get yourself the Lyrics up or even just Genius let be honest noones getting this shit on the first listen..
Long time subscriber and fan I’d love to see you do more Aesop. Most reactors don’t come with lyrics and just can’t keep up at all or try to write it off as nonsense. Sure sign you’re a smart man is when you know enough to know that nobody gets Aes on their first go. Do “Rings” or “Coffee” next.
That's all you can say DAMN
The basics of the song as my interpretation are three kids with different backgrounds and music tastes realizing how much the music means to them and using either carving it into a desk, writing on their shoes or writing on a venue bathroom stall. Zoso is for Led Zeppelin, Zulu is for Zulu Nation, and The Zeroes were a punk band. Listen to it again with that and it makes a bit more sense.
Do none shall pass. It's a more palatable first aesop song
Hey man, found your channel because of my love for Aesop. I'll be checking out more of your reactions today but you got a subscriber! If you do check out Aes again, I'd suggest Pigs, Rings, 9-5ers Anthem, Shrunk or No Regrets. Those songs have a more straightforward point so you should be able to understand it but his vocab still shines.
You caught more of his meaning in a first listen than I ever have!
:-: Ahhhhh I Freaking Love this Track.. Give Rabies a shot..
Warriors get this comment to 40likes to get this request..
The man himself........
Yo breaking down verse one, dude carves led Zeppelin moniker into his school desk because the lecture is making him dumber, a story about a teenager who feels like highschool isnt doing its job infact maybe the opposite.
The hook is about how more important events are birthed and destroyed in the gaps our knowledge through our bleak upbringings...
2nd verse zulu on the chucks should be ez , homies a fan of protest bands like rage against the machine and put the 90e equivalent of black lives matter on his converse kicks with a sharpie ...
The final verse is about a whistleblower publishing the dirty secrets of their employer and the synopsis i get is these three stories are strung together with the commonality that they are essentially three different "graffiti" artists who are revolting from the systematic failures we are all born into.
Wait....but......dude.....HOW!?
you must listning to UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Awakening (Full Band Playthrough Video) the drumms are insane!
1 a kid brought a knife to school
2 that kid got worse, found nunchucks later on, broke some property (amen)
3 He fucked up his sneakers, and his gf made fun of him for it
4 The kid gave up on gangworld aspirations to follow academic art
5 The kid was institutionalized
6 The kid tried to leave treatment, but got caught
7 the kid got out, but is at a new 0 state - new beginnings. (the mentioned letters in the final 8 bars spell zero)
"I told my ex in 87 I was falling on my weapon"
-water tower - impossible kid, aesop
Down to talk, pls
I was the person that requested this. Was it a good choice?
Seen him do this live 2 times so I'll!
More Aesop Please.
"No Regrets"
Someone loves aes, i sub👍
pretty sure graffiti-ing ZULU on your Chucks (converse) is a reference to Zulu nation (afrikka Bambattaa) and Renegades of Funk is one of Bambaataa's songs which the cover of the single was in a buckle font. :)
3 stories of how 3 men expressing their frustrations through art.
Aes is 🔥🔥🔥, but he is complex as hell. Try “Grace” or “Kirby” for something easier to decipher but still great.
I used the Kirby video to get my then 6 year old niece into good hip hop rather than the radio play stuff lol
Acid wash is probably a jean jacket era reference
More Aesop Rock please LFR fam :D
This man should listen to Klutz
If you keep reacting to Aesop Rock I'll keep watching
You had no idea what he's saying buy took a step back and listened and though... THE FUCK DID I JUST HEAR!? Aesop is solid. And those drums... shit.
1st video of your I’ve watched,
Your on point Aesop Rock takes a while to unpack.
Once you get into him,
There will be shit you’re figuring out a year later lol
I got something for you to check out
Jail break
B. Dolan
Buck 65
Aesop Rock(his part is So Sick!)
One of the best videos ever made
Lyrics on point from start to end
React to ‘Dorks,’ (Aesop rock) please- the message is equally crafted but less obscure
Whoever suggested you react to Aesop Rock set you up. It’s nearly impossible to understand and break down on one listen. Most lyrical rapper to ever touch a mic. He spits pure art.
Aesop Rock is my motherfucking dude Big up for actually stepping outside to listen to other shit people don’t. You reacted to the songs that I listen to without me saying a word so I’m down with the channel Homie that’s what’s up. Yo if you can check out that Rob sonic or that Hail Mary Mallon all the joints are that real shitI would recommend the song krill
Aesop rocks album "Labor Days" is one of my top albums ever.
Do daylight by aesop rock or 9-5ers anthem by aesop rock, they are both a lot easier to understand. This one here is a tough first song to try to get into aes rock
when ever someone reacting to Aesop Rock they need to have a dictionary with them
Aesop Rock is spectacular. But trying to figure out what the fuck he's talking about is a real job. I'm a big fan of going through it all and working it out, though.
My dude! This song is one of the purest to the four basic elements of hip-hop written! All it's lacking is the break dancing. But the official video is full of martial arts so I count it as valid. It's about graffiti and if you're good at something artistic, no matter how antisocial it's deemed, lean into it and do it well!
He tells story’s hence Aesop’s fables where he gets his name .
Please do more aesop
Lupe made a 40 minute + video trying to explain why aspiring rappers should take note from Ian. I have been a "Stan" since '01. Aes is the 🐐
Zoso is a reference to Led Zeppelin. That first verse is about a middle school druggie type of kid.
Chris Cornell - "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince Cover) [Live @ SiriusXM] | Lithium
Matt Greiner- Whitewashed drum playthrough bro. The dude is a monster!
Aesop Rock, one of the deepest and densest lyricists to grace a mic. Rare to understood this dude on the first listen. This wouldn't have been my first choice for a reaction vid, but yo, i got so much love and fandom for his skills and tight production... the meaning of this song is described well by others here... so i'll skip it. but the actual music video for this track is fulla crazyass action, kungfu stylee.
also, i gotta admit that he uses a lot of NYC vernacular, even though he don't hail from Brooklyn these days... for example, the kid tagging Zulu (for the Zulu nation), Aes mentions the vandal squad, that's a specific police task force set up to go after graf kids, know all the graffiti writers and the crews all-city. i suppose most non-new york heads might not know it. Some of Aes's lyrics can be unapologetically from a NY experience.
I swear, this guy transcends the art form a lot... much like a Mos Def or Doom, he does something so different with the same tools. Pac and Big are the most famous and stand out being genius... but some of the greatest will never be as widely known because they hit tilt on the whole damn machine.
You should react to Alexander the great by Iron Maiden with lyrics :D Its a little history lesson in the song :)
Cannot believe this is the only time you’ve reacted to Aesop rock
The letter Z is called Zed in the UK or anywhere England conquered. So when you say your A B C's your going through from A to Zed. Zulu is spelt Zed-U-L-U
Lol you don't understand an aes track until like the third listen, and an hour of quiet reflection.
now you need to watch this music video
You do a great job of rewindin every time you stop. Shows you wanna catch every bit of this shit and the fans appreciate that shit #sub
aesop rock is one of the greatest rappers of all time..... but the problem is, only SMART PEOPLE can get into it.... it's not written for the lowest common denominator like so many pop songs are these days. that's why taylor swift and crap like that is so popular, you can be a 7 year old kid and follow along to the simplistic lyrics....... aesop rock makes you want to pull out the dictionary AND the thesaurus
Do Basic Cable from Aesop. Lyrics are at least relatable.
For the way you reacted to this I’m lost as to why you have not done more ?
Zozo demon and ouija.... on the other side (demons) would be backward like communicating through a mirror
Any Portishead is the shit, so many hip hoppers have sampled her.
Anyone tell him Aesop kept the same delivery for each verse, yet?