Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I just write notes all day on my phone, and when I write songs it becomes a patchwork of these smaller notes that I had, mixed with stuff in the moment.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I love the playfulness and braggadocio that accompanies a ton of rap music - that's basically what makes up the foundation for most rappers. But there is nothing 'weirder' to me than someone who has never doubted themselves.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Sometimes comfort zones are the best. Sometimes discomfort is just what the doctor ordered.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Most artists - painters or writers - I think create out of stress or negative situations. Look at rock music. It's about getting things off of your chest, and it's a means of venting in many ways. That's what my work is about.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Having some decent musicians around you only expands what you can do production-wise, but I make rap - I can't really see myself doing much else.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

It's really rare in life that a situation is as black and white as we tend to paint it.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I used to do a lot of one-off collabs, features, stuff like that.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I was a Kimya fan for a long time, a Moldy Peaches fan, so I got to work on her 'Thunder Thighs' record a little bit and we became friends and just started writing songs.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I got tired of everybody repeating the same phrases in the hip-hop world.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I've been able to tour because of my music and I've learned a lot about myself while on the road. I think some of the imagery of my writing are snapshots of where I've been and my feelings about the world.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Pardon me if this all sounds corny, but when you put on a record, I'd like it to be an escape from everything you do.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

When I do solo material I definitely tend to overthink it. I make a lot of rules for myself that are a little bit arbitrary and... it's just painful.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I think in your 30s you can still pretend you're in your 20s, or at least maintain some semblance of youth. Forty is when you've got to stop denying the inevitable.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Rap music started because they were bored of other music so they created something really new.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I believe giving pets 'people food,' while tempting, is generally frowned upon. As a pet owner you want to prioritize your animal's health over the entertainment value in watching your little guy bat around a small piece of chicken.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I like to just hear people talking and TV is a quick way to hear different periods and genres. It's just interesting to me. I'm pretty easily amused with that kind of stuff.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I've performed in Japan before, as well as many other non-English speaking countries. I find you really just have to be a bit more animated than usual. Call-and-response routines work well, if they are simple. Otherwise, I just dance around like a circus monkey and hope the crowd feels it.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

Really, my biggest risk was just the initial step to quit my day job to do music. I was packaging and shipping for an art gallery in Manhattan; I went to school for painting, so I always wanted to work around artwork, even though I wasn't really contributing anything to the scene.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

I had been using a 4-track and a digital 8-track in the '90s, and it was this huge complicated thing. But GarageBand is right there.

Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock

My brother came home from college with a Mountain Goats cassette and I was like, 'What is this?' The lyrics were crazy to me. I'd never heard anything like it.