Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass T-Shirt

Description

Five fingers, two hearts, one skull with wings. If you know the cover, you know the record.

August 28, 2007. Aesop Rock drops None Shall Pass on Definitive Jux, his fifth studio album, and the densest writer in the underground decides to tell stories instead of riddles. Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic, and Aes himself on the boards. Live guitars and bass all over it. “Bring Back Pluto,” “Catacomb Kids,” the title track, and “Coffee” with John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats closing the album out. It debuted at #50 on the Billboard 200 off an indie label. No radio play, no compromise.

This is peak Def Jux era, the mid-2000s run when El-P’s label was the center of gravity for abstract, left-field New York rap. Aesop said he wanted the album to paint pictures: skateboarding, junior high, being a kid, less “me me me.” The Jeremy Fish artwork on this tee does the same thing. It’s ornate, a little morbid, and full of details you only catch on the tenth look, just like the bars.

Product Details

• Premium Bella Canvas 3001 – 100% combed and ring-spun cotton
• Lightweight (4.2 oz) with retail fit
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Tear-away label for comfort
• Available in Black, Navy, and Chocolate

For the heads who kept a dictionary next to the CD booklet. For the ones who still say “Bring Back Pluto” like a protest chant. For you.