



Consequently, with sufficient words to reach the moon and back, whittling down worthy quotables is a NASA-level mission. In terms of dropping science, this is equivalent to speed eating the text of an entire Open University course in a single sitting. Wherever he accelerates to full velocity – such as Racing Stripes' breathless verses – it's almost overwhelming. And with a shadow of mortality colouring the sky, that means denser, more tightly-woven rhyming patterns than ever. To misappropriate a line here from highlight Zero Dark Thirty, Aesop's approach is at an “angle perpendicular to everything”, rarely taking an easy path when a new one can be thrashed out. Skelethon continues a talent honed over a 15-year career for wilfully deconstructing wordplay with a snarky v-sign to the constrictions of hip hop. Exhibit #2,872: Skelethon, inspired by a less-than-sunny recent spell in the life of Ian Bavitz, aka New York-raised rapper Aesop Rock, during which his best friend perished and his marriage disintegrated. When not claiming beloved artists in their prime, death's influence on popular music is more often a positive force to creativity.
