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Aesop Rock Release New Video Feature Himself as a Puppet

These past few months have seen several fascinating artistic developments from Aesop Rock.  On April 29th, he released The Impossible Kid, his seventh studio album, and a few weeks ago, he even made his Tonight Show debut.  Aesop Rock seems to be showing now signs of putting the brakes on his momentum, as he just released the music video for Kirby, the next single from his new album.

The video features Aesop Rock, imagined as puppet, playing with a kitten, apparently named Kirby.  The titular kitten upon whom the song seems to be based can be observed engaging in feline antics while the puppet version of Aesop Rock looks on and raps lines such as, “15 years taking prescriptions, Now a shrink like, 'Iono, maybe get a kitten.”  

Aesop Rock, who built his career off of nearly-indecipherable, tongue-twisting lines, has created a slightly simpler and lighthearted offering with this track.  While he hasn't completely eschewed his wordy rapping, he seems to have toned down his turgid style for this kitten-inspired song.  The beat for the song, which Aesop Rock produced himself, features an electronic bassline sitting atop a boom-bap drum pattern.

By Ryan Donberg for RAPstation.com