AESOP ROCK X BLOCKHEAD RELEASE “ALL THE SMARTEST PEOPLE” VIDEO

Aesop Rock and Blockhead have returned with an animated music video for “All The Smartest People,” the pensively reflective centerpiece of their full length 2021 collaboration album, Garbology. The psychedelic visual strings together nearly 1500 illustrated stills of Aesop Rock delivering his verses, all illustrated and animated by Aesop himself, with dozens of subtle notes, clues and references throughout.

Watch the “All The Smartest People” video here
https://youtu.be/n-TkVH2j7gU 

Speaking on the video, Aes offered: “I heard a calling that said ‘you should draw 1,500 selfies,’ and I answered that call on some ‘hold my Bubly.’ I had been messing around with some short animations and decided to take a crack at something a little longer. The process made my eyes hurt, and now your eyes can hurt too. Some days it felt therapeutic, but a lot of days I was pretty over it. I would get about 6 seconds a day on average. Lots of repetition. Ultimately I’m glad I was patient enough to see it through – and thankful for those around me with the ‘keep going!’ attitude. This song is one of my favorites off the Garbology project. It’s fun when these weird ones work out.”

Garbology marked a new apex in the pair’s long standing collaborative relationship, which stretches back to the start of their respective music careers in the late 90’s. The album came together in the midst of Aesop hitting writer’s block while processing the loss of a close friend, leading him to hit up Blockhead for beats to jumpstart his creativity. Before long they’d amassed a full album, released to broad acclaim from NPR, Pitchfork, Fader, Stereogum, as well as year end honors from the likes of FLOOD, Brooklyn Vegan, Okayplayer, Passion of the Weiss, and more.

Stream / Buy Garbology
 https://rse.lnk.to/Garbology

Buy physical copies and merch
https://aesoprock.com

Watch the “Flamingo Pink” video here
 https://youtu.be/WW0OkEFKRWg

Watch the “Jazz Hands” video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzq1WBBYTBU

“Dark and beautiful” – NPR

“Aesop Rock has always been one of rap’s great linguistic thinkers, and there are turns of phrase on Garbology that I had to type out, just so that I could sit and look at them.” – STEREOGUM

“hip-hop that vacillates between meditative and aggressive, but never falls short of arresting.” – PASTE

“Blockhead’s beats on Garbology sound as futuristic today as his beats on Labor Days sounded 20 years ago, and Aesop Rock sounds fully inspired. He’s delivering the kind of surrealistic tongue-twisters that defined his classic era, and he sounds like he’s having a hell of a good time doing it.”  – BROOKLYN VEGAN

“Garbology is an album of rituals and graveyards, of mixed messages and lost communications, and it manages to walk a mirror-thin line between relatable and inscrutable. In short, it feels like a great Aesop Rock album.” – POP MATTERS