Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York.

After hearing Aesop Rock freestyle, Blockhead decided to forgo his own dreams of rapping in favor of focusing on production.

[12] Blockhead was involved with a crew in New York called The Overground that included Dub-L.[13] During his early adulthood, Aesop Rock held various odd jobs including positions answering phones for clothing catalogs, packaging artwork in art gallery storerooms and working for one-hour photo developers.

[6] Bavitz also listened to rock acts such as Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, and Ministry; he was introduced to these groups by his older brother Chris.

[15] While attending college, Bavitz initially recorded and released two self-financed efforts, Music for Earthworms (1997), a full-length featuring underground artist Percee P on two tracks.

Because of its popularity, Daylight was re-released in 2002 as a seven-track EP, including an "alternative" new version of the song "Night Light", whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to, and stand in stark opposition to, the original's.

For the first time, production was mostly handled by Bavitz himself, with three tracks from longtime collaborator Blockhead and one from close friend and Definitive Jux label CEO El-P.

Guest appearances include Party Fun Action Committee, El-P, and Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and Camp Lo.

In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them.

[citation needed] Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day.

Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring Allyson Baker on guitar and with scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes.

The album contained original art by Jeremy Fish, whose work Rock set to a slideshow backed by a track titled "Tomorrow Morning".

During this period, Definitive Jux began its indefinite hiatus; thus, Aesop Rock's next album, Skelethon, was instead released through Rhymesayers Entertainment.

He later joined frequent collaborators Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz to form the group Hail Mary Mallon, through which he released two albums: 2011's Are You Gonna Eat That?

[27][28] Aesop Rock's collaborations during this period also include the establishment of the Uncluded, a group he formed alongside anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches.

[29] The Uncluded released their debut album, Hokey Fright, on May 7, 2013,[4] and subsequently supported it with a tour that included Rhymesayers' 2013 Summerfest.

On December 9, 2022, Aesop Rock released the song "Pumpkin Seeds" featuring the Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco and produced by Blockhead.

[42] The lyrics are sometimes inspired by events which have occurred in Bavitz's personal life and are thus naturally prone to subjective interpretation by outsiders.

[45]In 2002, on the song "One of Four" (a hidden track on the Daylight EP) Aesop Rock explains: But I can tell you that I only write shit down when I believe it / so take this how you want but know I mean it.— "One of Four" Daylight EP (2002) In May 2014, a study by Matt Daniels found that Aesop Rock's vocabulary in his music surpassed 85 other major hip-hop and rap artists, as well as Shakespeare's works and Herman Melville's Moby Dick; he was cited as having the largest vocabulary in hip hop.

[49] In 2005, he married Allyson Baker, guitarist and vocalist of rock band Dirty Ghosts; they resided in San Francisco, but have since divorced.