Aesop Rock + Tobacco = Malibu Ken
Malibu Ken is a collaboration album between rapper/producer Aesop Rock and producer Tobacco. The album contains ten tracks and was released on January 18th of 2019 by Rhymesayers Entertainment.
I would personally classify this album as hip hop with influences of electronic music and chiptune. For those of you familiar with both of these artists, it is no surprise that Malibu Ken is a very creative work of art. These two artists make an interesting team.
Malibu Ken Review
I have been listening to Aesop Rock for a long time. I first became aware of his album Labor Days in high school, and he has been an influence of mine ever since. He is one of the artists that got me off of radio rap and showed me how diverse and creative hip hop can be.
For those of you who have never listened to Aesop Rock, he is known for providing his listeners with an insane combination of words. His lyrics are so layered and metaphorical that he is often accused of stringing random words together. These critics are not listening hard enough. While Aesop Rock songs can sound like someone RNG’d a dictionary, they do have prominent themes and ideas.
Malibu Ken is no departure from Aesop Rock’s rhyming style. It is just straight up fun to listen to. He has a knack for taking you on an exciting and cartoon-ish adventure with nothing but a couple of words.
This album is my first major interaction with Tobacco. However, I am impressed with the work on Malibu Ken. The production on this album is very clean and catchy.
I love the style of the tracks on this album. The beats feel small and big at the same time. This is a testament to how a talented producer can do with a few sounds.
This album has two singles so far: Acid King and Corn Maze. Acid King appears halfway through the album, while Corn Maze kicks off Malibu Ken as the first track. While these aren’t my favorite songs on the album, I feel the two tracks give a good idea of the album’s overall style.
My favorite track on Malibu Ken is Tuesday. It starts off with a humorous story, then delves into a classic episode of Aesop Rock introspection. However, I have only listened to this album twice. My favorite song may change as I digest this album over the next few weeks.
Fans of boxy electronic music and chiptune will have easy time listening to this album. The production reminds of many indie video game soundtracks, such as Hotline Miami. I feel that this is also a good album to introduce to those who don’t listen to hip hop regularly.
Give it a go and let me know what you think! Honestly, I was not the biggest fan of Aesop Rock’s last few projects. However, I found Malibu Ken to be a great return to what I love about his music. As stated previously, I was not super familiar with Tobacco before hearing this album. I can now safely say that I am a fan.
Where to Find Malibu Ken, Aesop Rock, and Tobacco
Malibu Ken can be found through Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Rhymesayers was nice enough to stream the entire album on Youtube for free.
Aesop rock can be found on Twitter @AesopRockWins.
Tobacco can be found on Twitter @maniacmeat.
