Aesop Rock - No Story Goes Untold

The pursuit of a good idea is too often hampered by the prospect of another that seems yet more interesting. So goes the premise of The Next Best Thing – a children's book which was recently soundtracked by the still somehow underground MC/producer Aesop Rock and illustrated by acclaimed skateboard artist Jeremy Fish.

As just one in an abundance of projects that Aesop (AKA Ian Bavitz) has successfully completed during the prolific distance travelled between his last LP to the latest, evidence enough that he himself has found a way to steer clear of this sure road to creative block. He gives off an easy sense of contentment in conversation, appearing a world away from the pissed off alter-ego he unleashed with 2003's Bullet Tooth. Might that guy have taken a back seat?

"Well, sort of...", he tentatively wonders. "I think he's still present but it was just a different time in my life. That was a frustrating period, I mean I started making it around 9/11 and there was just a bunch of shit going on in the city and a bunch of shit going on in my family and so a lot of elements played into me just having a bit of a turbulent time, and I'm not one to shy away from that when it comes to music. It was a frustrating sounding record and a record that was supposed to be a bit abrasive. Whereas, with this one, it wasn't supposed to be 100% autobiographical and it wasn't just me vomiting up all this nervous energy. I did really get to kick it and work on songs of a different nature. I moved and got married and my life is just less hectic than it was a few years ago. I get to throw all my time into the music now."

Having relocated from his native New York to San Francisco, it's easy to suspect that a move away from the bustle of the American East coast to the ever laid back West might have made for an easier life. Aesop concurs.

"It's weird to be out of New York because I've been there forever but at the same time I kind of like the secluded aspect of San Francisco. I don't know all that many people there and I kind of like it that way. I get to section myself off and work on my shit without having too much of an outside influence on it, which is kind of refreshing."

And all the hard work is set to pay off this month as Aes returns with a dazzling hip-hop odyssey titled None Shall Pass, emerging as something of a verbal photo album of vivid snapshots taken throughout his experience of the life-cycle so far, from the cradle to full blown adulthood. As he explains:

"I was trying to capture these different time periods, these moods of somebody from birth to age 30... a story where you could think 'oh that reminds me of when I was five years old or when I was in college,' or something like that. Just these different periods that make people what they are."

The most current snapshot from Aesop's timeline couldn't catch him in a more productive light as he was also recently approached to record music for the latest Nike+ advertising campaign – bringing about an unlikely affiliation which he still appears confounded by.

"I'd say it's definitely an unusual choice for both of us. When the offer came in my first reaction was 'Why the hell are you asking me to do this?' But once I read through what they were talking about and what they wanted, I thought it was a weird project at the bottom of it and I don't get opportunities like that very often. I had critics about it but I also have a closet full of Nikes and Adidas..."

Like millions of others?

"...exactly, so in that sense I didn't have to think twice about it, any doubt was more in the sense of 'Can I pull this off? They're asking me to do this: sample-free, 45 minutes of instrumentals, music that would be geared towards an athlete to train to. And I was just like: 'Fuck what is that supposed to sound like? I don't know.' It came at a really odd time when I was trying to finish my album and on top of that their deadline was like 30 or 40 days after they asked me to do it, so my reaction was like 'Well, fuckin' A, what the hell.' It was so odd to me but I thought I'd be an idiot to turn it down. They were completely helpful and polite throughout the entire project so it wasn't like it was the swooping in of some evil corporation to pick at my stuff. I basically had full creative control over the whole project and I didn't mind sticking my foot up in that world for a second because I knew I had my little indie cocoon I could run back to when I was done."

And there our unblinkered protagonist snugly resides once again, grabbing fresh ideas by the horns whilst still keeping an eye out for the next best thing. Although the infectious parables of None Shall Pass could prove to top.