New York, September 9, 2007 -- Fresh on the heels of the release of his fourth full-length album None Shall Pass, New York's own rhyme laureate Aesop Rock played a sold-out show at Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza.  It has a been a full four years since his last full-length Bazooka Tooth debuted, as well as an EP, a 45-minute Nike+Original Run commissioned jam, and a storybook/record collaboration with illustrator Jeremy Fish that focused on the pitfalls of the creative process since Aes Rock himself has taken center stage.

At Sunday's show, only the second stop on a forty-city North American tour, Aesop Rock performed for over 90 minutes and was supported on the wheels of steel by DJ Big Wiz and by Rob Sonic as his hype man.  This was a real hometown show, and joining Aesop Rock on stage throughout the evening were El-P, Cage, Yak Ballz, Breezy Brewin, and Tame One.  It was an all-star affair, slightly overshadowed when a skirmish broke out in front of the stage and interrupted the song "39 Thieves."  Aesop Rock wasn't too happy about the crowd spoiling an otherwise promising song, and he actually scrapped the effort and moved on with his set.   He did justice to his eclectic back catalogue, most notably with a unique rendition of “No Regrets”, which tells the life story of a precocious young artist called Lucy, who lived her life’s dream of painting.

The leitmotif of the creative process in Aesop Rock's songs is appropriate considering his discipline as one of the wordiest and cleverest MC's in independent hip hop today -- and rightly so.  Fans and hip hop colleagues alike appreciate what this guy has done for hip hop. 

El-P, Cage, Yak Ballz, and Tame One are just a few such people and, in fact, they joined Aesop Rock on stage to reunite as The Weathermen to perform their anthemic “Left It to Us”.  This was the first time they played together since March.  Aesop Rock closed out his set and encore with the crowd-pleasing "Daylight"

Aesop Rock will be touring North America through November. - Damien Neva

Photos: Damien Neva