Aesop Rock & EL-P

I can't think of one without the other, because they:
A. collaborate on each others work,
B. They are prime examples of a paradox known as "Intelligent Hip Hop"
C. They're cool as shit.



EL-P, also known as El Producto is a renown NYC Hip Hop rapper & producer which jump-started the label Def Jux which included Cannibal Ox. He started off as a member of the infamous group Company Flow.



Fantastic Damage



"El-P's style can be characterized by his dense, aggressive, and verbose attacks, which include notable use of metaphor, science fiction and fantasy themes and references, and associative word play. Critic Steve Huey describes him as "one of the most technically gifted MCs of his time, spitting out near-impossible phrases and rhythmic variations that simply leave the listener's head spinning."



I'll sleep when you're dead.



Aesop Rock was one of the first acts signed to the Def Jux label. Oft compared to lyrical masters like Kool Keith. He also has Science Fiction influence and a dumbfoundingly fast delivery. Just check out 2:43 in the next video and you'll know what I mean.



Labor Days.



"It’s probably because it’s not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can’t help but think they simply haven’t listened and are regurgitating some rumor they’ve heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you’d have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place."



None Shall Pass.