Aesop Rock & TOBACCO release new LP; Blockhead too (stream them both)

Aesop Rock, master of wordy, abstract rap for over two decades, and TOBACCO, master of gooey psychedelic synths for almost as long, teamed up as Malibu Ken and released their self-titled debut album on Rhymesayers today. It might’ve seemed like an unlikely pairing, but Aesop’s supernatural rhyme schemes are the perfect fit for TOBACCO’s acid-soaked electronics. Aesop has put out some good stuff over the years, but Malibu Ken has some of his finest bars since his classic 2000s run. And I don’t know if I’ve ever liked TOBACCO on his own as much as I like him as a rap producer. There are surely many, many more rap albums on the way in 2019, but Malibu Ken already feels like a contender to be the year’s most delightfully weird. You can stream the whole thing below.

The Malibu Ken album is actually one of two new albums that Aesop Rock is on that are out today. His longtime collaborator Blockhead released the new album Free Sweatpants, which features recent single “Kiss The Cook” ft. Aesop Rock, plus songs with Homeboy Sandman, Open Mike Eagle, Billy Woods, Armand Hammer, Hemlock Ernst, and more. If you like Aesop Rock, you’ll probably like this album too and you can stream this one below as well.