How Atmosphere’s Slug Invented “Old School” Emo Rap
Nowadays, emo rap is seen as a hybrid genre, but at the turn of the millennium, Slug of Atmosphere was pioneering an alternative hip-hop aesthetic we call “old school” emo rap.
Nowadays, emo rap is seen as a hybrid genre, but at the turn of the millennium, Slug of Atmosphere was pioneering an alternative hip-hop aesthetic we call “old school” emo rap.

The legendary MC Aesop Rock delivers another masterclass in beats and rhymes with some new wrinkles.
Aesop Rock has always excelled at vivid character sketches and using his music to work through the most challenging parts of life. His latest LP is no different.
The best hip-hop albums celebrate classic styles with new approaches, blend rap with electronic, jazz, and soul, and push the boundaries of genre.
Aesop Rock finally reunites with his longtime producer Blockhead for a hip-hop record less focused on nostalgia and more about depicting our paranoid present.

In a year beset by the most horrid and unusual circumstances, leave it to the hip-hop community to challenge our beliefs and voice our activism. The best records of the year served as rallying cries and made us reconsider the very genre itself.
Noted hip-hop wordsmith Aesop Rock cedes production duties to focus on making the most of his million-word vocabulary on Malibu Ken.