Aesop Rock Quotes

I went to college, got a job. Not a good job or anything but I was fully set to be an office employee for my life.

I guess, for me, the idea of finding an identity through creative means has always been a way to deal with otherwise feeling awkward and uncomfortable out in the world.

I never really planned on being a rapper, I just kinda did it and then people started liking it.

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.

I remember when I was younger, I read that Jay-Z was 33 and I was just like, ‘Damn! This dudes really still goin for it?’ It’s just so rare that you see any rapper over 30 doing anything interesting.

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.

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.

Rap lyrics are really the only thing I’ve ever written.

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.

Finding something new that I know I’ve never done before is the best feeling I know, and when I get there it’s all worth it.

To be honest, I think Chris Ware is the only person whose books I’ve actively and consistently purchased for years.

Ultimately, I really like to rap, and seeing what I can do to keep it fresh for myself has lent itself to tailoring over time.

I would say the best toy for any cat is always some sort of dangling item on a string or fishing-rod-type structure.

Honestly, I don’t feel pressure to live up to anything I’ve done because I tend to not listen to my work once a year passes.

To me, it seems more realistic to my thought process when things feel a little scattered in the lyrics. Being disjointed is not that abstract of a thing when I think about how my brain works – I feel like it’s almost more realistic. That’s how my brain works.

Artwork, films, TV – it’s always informed my work, no matter what I’m working on.

New York can be a tad stressful.

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.

I have been inspired by countless artists over the years, but there’s also times when you just gotta make your own inspiration.

I’m never really comfortable; I think it’s kind of natural to feel uncomfortable, and I think if people say they are comfortable, they’re just lying.

I love ‘Black Mirror.’

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.

I know so many people that were really able to lead ‘perfect’ lives. They meet the right person, they make the babies, they get the jobs, they get the house and it’s essentially a smooth ride. That really didn’t happen for me.

I went to college in ’94 and started freestyling a lot more and hearing how others did it, hearing styles from other regions, all of it. Met Blockhead there.

I don’t see any of my records as any more or less conceptual than the others, and I don’t really plan some overall idea in advance. The songs all get written under the umbrella of a certain time in your life, and it’s natural to find themes that repeat within these periods.

I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve rapped a lot. I like to think that’s all in the toolbox to be tapped into when I need it.

Mark my words, even if I sell out a club of 15,000 with all girls, I’m not taking my shirt off. I’m sorry. I know y’all are waiting to see the pasty stomach and everything.

I just think I want my work to represent me fully.

I think I’m always surprised at how much the musicians I meet put weight on things that aren’t music.

I know a lot of people who make records, and when you meet them, it’s not their personality or they’re not what you’re expecting. But El-P is exactly what you’d expect.

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.

When you’re younger, you really care who your fans are.

I am hoping to improve my writing and rapping, as well as get a better grasp on how to make beats and music that complements what I do vocally. It’s a learning process that hopefully won’t end.

I guess all that I can hope for is that my songs affect the younger versions of me out there.

I love a cool cellphone as much as the next guy, but, god, I hate when it rings.

I think I learned very quickly after I started putting out music… you just learn that people are going to take what they want and make it fit their agenda or make it fit their interpretation. And you make peace with that or you suffer forever.

I don’t want to hit a point where I feel there is nothing to improve upon – there always is.

You have to write about what’s inside you. If I have to get something out, I’ll do it.

My collaborative albums are always way more enjoyable to make.

I always keep my phone on vibrate. Ringtones give me anxiety.

The neighbors prefer I don’t do vocals at night. It gets a little iffy when I’m screaming.

I’d love it if one of my songs became a hit.

I avoided the computer generation for a very long time.

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.

I like feeling warm inside a small home, knowing there’s a set of glowing eyes out in the woods somewhere. It’s just a vibe I enjoy writing about, and it deals simultaneously with safety and danger.

I’ve been writing for a long time.

When I record in a studio. I know that on Tuesday at 3 o’clock I’ve got to go be creative.

I like to make stuff and I try to stay busy.

I really like ‘Game of Thrones.

I’ve always recorded at home. That’s been part of what it’s about to me. I’ve never been the kind of guy who rents a studio.

People’s opinions outside of my direct group of friends means next to nothing.

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.

People will put me in whatever box they feel the most comfortable having me in, and nothing I can do will change that.

The only way I’m comfortable with a new album is if I’m taking a new risk.

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.