Aesop Rock - Shrunk (Reaction)

[@traktician]

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[@ShawnsLoop]

The "in-case-of-emergencies is in the daisies chasing birds" will make more sense once you listen to Kirby LOL

[@traktician]

Oh shit!!! I didn't even pick that up in Kirby!!! Now that all makes sense!!!

[@ShawnsLoop]

@@traktician I feel it's fair trade. I gave you 1 insight compared to the innumerous insights you've given me in breaking down all these artists lyricism LOL. Your ability to analyze the underlying themes in artists lyrics is what makes your content so great to watch. And Aesop Rock is definitely one of the more lyrically cryptic artists to understand. So, I was relieved to see you starting on some of his songs, because I know I'll gain some insight from your take on his lyrics. I know you'll uncover some themes that I won't have thought of.

[@ju4408]

​@@trakticianHis albums are very internally self referential like that. And across the catalogue his metaphors become their own nodes in interconnecting webs.

[@cjonesufc]

The funny thing is that he still absolutely gets it right because his only partner IS Kirby.

[@TheCoughinProphet]

His in case of emergency is kirby

[@poisonedivysaur]

For people who don't know, cookie-puss is an ice-cream cake from Carvel Ice Cream shop. I grew up 20 mins away from where Aes grew up. Long Island Suffolk County New York. I love his Long Island references it's like a wink to our home.

[@mmmmike0]

Beowulf is an ancient poem about a warrior who is sort of a Hercules figure. He goes to dark pits and dragon hordes to fight monsters and prove his worth. He’s saying he is channeling this inner warrior to fight off the impossible odds of describing your own mental health

[@ju4408]

If you've ever read it, the references to armoring up, his helmet, choosing an iron shield over a wooden shield, get onerous. Like Anne Rice describing curtains for 10 pages. Basically what he says with chain over turtleneck, cigars over cologne. He's "got some walls up".

[@mj-vk9vf]

"I'm climbing up the stucco" means "he is climbing up the wall" I.E going crazy. Stucco is like plaster for the outside of a house it normally has a rough texture. So that line is saying I am going crazy lets just end it.

[@slipknot95maggot]

Every Aes bar has the potential to be like 12 different bars and I keep finding more bars in his bars and I never know when to stop "My in case of emergency is in the daisies chasing birds" He could be saying what you mentioned, his ICE isn't worth contacting anyway 'cuz they're not ready for emergencies, "chasing birds in the daisies" like aloof and whatnot He could be referring to his cat, this comes first in the story but 1. the story could be loosely assembled to make a point or 2. I mean he can still write a bar out of chronological order if he wants, you could take from that to say he had none and even now writing the bar the closest to an ICE he has is Kirbs; "In the daisies chasing birds", literally what cats will do He could ALSO be referring to "pushing up daisies" the expression for being "underground", my ICE is "in the daisies" ["fertilizer"] "chasing birds" birds fly if you chase birds you have to go up, if you're in the daisies and you're chasing birds up then you're making daisies go up, you're pushing up daisies. He could be saying his ICE is de@d now. He has no close reliable contacts. He previously said "telephone uncovered by purveyors of the Ouija", ouija boards being used to contact the de@d, he could have been saying then that everybody who knew his number is de@d. He has no contacts left in his phone, nobody alive knows how to contact him. That would tie in perfectly with saying his ICE is "in the daisies" ie pushing up daisies ie "underground"

[@ryanswiatek5459]

aes just blowing my mind continuously everyday forever. what an album, track....Oh, and after many tries, I found a great therapist yesterday that just clicked w me. I'm Shrunk stillllll thanks youtube black hole algo♥

[@ShawnsLoop]

Outside of being one of the most criminally underrated lyrists in the genre, the production and rythme of his tracks is amazing. His songs aren't cookie cutter on the production. They are always just fun to listen to musically as much as lyrically. And the content of what he's talking about is deeply metaphorical and introspective. It's not the usual rap genre fair as for as subject matter goes. I do understand why he's a little hard to get into. The lyrics are complex as are the metaphors he uses. It takes effort to pay attention to and grasp what he's saying. This isn't the club banger kind of musical content. But he's easily one of my favorite artists and the flow and lyricism he demonstrates is up there in that top 5 for me along with Eminem and Busta Rhymes. This breakdown of the back and forth and pros and cons of therapy is just...well it's on point, but he makes it amusing and entertaining as well. Love this song! It sucks, it's a drag, You have your motivations, the therapist has theirs, it's a push and pull. It doesn't feel worth it, is it really helping? Do you want another appointment absolutely! Bring on the chaos, we'll hash it out!

[@deefman123]

Beowulf is an old germanic /old english folk story/poem about warriors who are attacked by a monster, grendel, and beowulf is the warrior who (ithink) slew him.

[@jamm1n420]

Get out of the car is meant to be from the perspective of him sitting in his car in the parking lot of the shrinks office, so when it ends with "get out of the car aes" he's talking in third person telling himself to get out of the car and go deal with his mental issues

[@TheCoughinProphet]

And he sees someone in the parking lot on his way home with a box of kittens

[@dustinjones1346]

Stucco is the liquid drywall stuff. Like textured walls and popcorn ceilings are done with it. So climbing up the stucco is a clever way of saying hes climbing the walls, lets get to the seppuku like lets get to whats eating me up inside and the problems im here for

[@andrewfreeman88]

Stucco is the rough or bumpy texture of an outside wall, not the inside.

[@ulyssesfister3735]

"random set of numbers and letters" to me just meant the post-screen for arcade games, where top scores were often just AAA with an arbitrary score next to it. And they change hourly forever because new scores are always being posted.

[@deefman123]

What i find interesting about the first verse , the intentional obscurity of who he is, all the details and whatnot shifting about, is in my opinion not only about him but also it could literally be anyone, and IS everyone, who goes to therapy at some point, my first name is made up of random numbers and letters. It doesn't matter who you are, if you need therapy you are often dealing with internal issues, in Aesop;'s case its got to do with depression, isolationism, and grief amongst other shit. And finding yourself preparing for therapy could make you feel challenged by even defining yourself as anything, without many tools to deal with your issues yet, just filling out the form is definitely "level one".

[@maineiacial]

not in therapy but have worked in a hospital. could it be an allegory to an insurance number or medical record even?

[@durere]

I think the whole filling out the form part is meant to emphasize how private and guarded he is. It's not that he doesn't know his address, he just doesn't wanna share. He's got a ton of social anxiety bars in his tracks. ''Shoe-gaze rap'' - Aesop Rock

[@campbellcravens8944]

these 30 minutes go by so fast each time. this is one of my personal favorites, the progression of each verse until the end is amazing and the way it’s told like a video game narrative bc he just can’t help but see it all as a sick game I think is brilliant. gonna keep rewatching the first couple until the next few!

[@c3mi979]

You've given one of the better Aesop breakdowns I've seen. There is always a lot to unpack with him but you pick up on a lot of it early on, especially if these are truely first listens. I'll definitely keep an eye out for any more of your Aesop Rock reactions/breakdowns. Another good one (out of many) would be No City off his album None Shall Pass Peace!

[@julienmgastonmercier]

This is by far my favourite Aesop breakdown.. you’re learnin’ me so much! Thank you!

[@cjonesufc]

He actually went to Boston University and has a bachelor’s in Visual Arts. He’s also saying his issues could fill a course at SUNY, Buffalo which is a reputable school in New York.

[@bboyshotty]

so.damn.good! Kirby just turns it all into a happy/feel good ending..cant wait haha

[@euphoricmonk]

I'm climbing up the stucco = climbing up the wall or going crazy in this waiting room.

[@nomukun1138]

Aesop was a Greek slave who told many stories that have become a part of popular culture for centuries. A fox was struggling to reach a bunch of grapes that was just out of reach. After jumping a dozen times he gave up and said, "I didn't want those grapes anyway. They were probably sour."

[@TheGreenBlaza]

Bro I’ve been listening to Aesop since the beginning, and these are the best breakdowns of his music that I’ve seen/heard! You need to do more! His latest is as good as his first just pick one and go!

[@powdanjr]

This is a COMPLETELY different genre but watching you do Aes reactions has brought my brain to other lyrical masterpieces I can think of and IMO there are few if any greater than the album Hospice by The Antlers. An indie rock concept album about a hospice worker falling in love with their terminally Ill patient. It’s an incredible piece of art I think you would really appreciate.

[@FrankWarnerWords]

Fil, oohh, loving the cool of his fire. So much leveling up in these spirit level words. His flexibility in constructing a breakdown of his road of life backed by a V8 beat thumping the narrative, drives this and us home. Love these long reactions, bro. Meaty break down of this Ambrosia. #QcumberSquad #AesopRock - Fil, I'm off back to the study.

[@weepy9622]

Im exhausted

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

My favorite albums.. Float, Music for Earthworms and Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives. there's a b-sides and rarities mix here on YT too.

[@ju4408]

There's 3 rarities collections, but that first one's full of some of his best standalone writing. Tugboat Complex 1 is where it's at.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

@@ju4408 so good ! Love Bazooka Tooth too

[@frost9681]

To touch on the medical history thing, i interpreted it a little differently. To me, hes saying that his physical and mental health issues make up the content of a degree at university. Basically "theres not enough space to put my medical history here, since theres enough to make up a whole course at SUNY Buffallo". I took it as him saying that he's very, very mentally unwell

[@EddieBrock]

checked against the women's room graffiti i always took as one of those "for a good time call xxx-xxxx" so thats how you would know if you had the right number or not.

[@denominatorxero720]

As a non American you may have misunderstood (or maybe i am wrong idk) but his line *My social (security number) is a sudoku, * for us our SSN is a personal identification number we have to use for verification and was set up for the future U.S. retirement system. He's filling out his form for the psychiatrist and this would be something listed on the paperwork for him to fill in along with his name and birthday

[@traktician]

You're right... I think I did misunderstand that... Didn't even think about the SSN. Appreciate that. 😀

[@Ken-fd7ml]

It's also 9 numbers long and filled in with numbers of 1-9 similar to a sudoku.

[@nathansocks7805]

Still here. Still waiting on the next Sadistik reaction. It’s been since you did Lazarus. Do “you don’t know” off his newest album w Kno.

[@nathansocks7805]

U keep hearting these comments but have not followed up in years! U watched Daisies, did Lazarus, said u were gonna get ur boy on it and…. Nothin. Where are the Sad reactions.

[@nathansocks7805]

Go back and look at the comments on Lazarus. I stay checking in watching and waiting

[@cornelisnielson1985]

Did you do "Lazy Eye" already? Let me check! ... Other suggestions would be: Syrop (ft. Homebot Sandman and Open Mike Eagle) Klutz Untouchable Cheers mate, these breakdowns are on point.

[@andrewfreeman88]

Syrup

[@genevievegarnet7711]

In reference to the in-case-of-emergency line he is saying that his emergency contact is saved for the the chance he looks out side and sees the flowers chasing the birds, meaning someone who can make sense of the nonsensical. A lot of this album has to do with Aesop turning away from the public eye and leaning from science and grounded fact into a sense of spirituality while looking for answers after experiencing not only the loss of his friend but how his life was slowly coming apart.

[@akira1086]

Actually that's not what the line says, he says his incase of emergency is "in the daisies chasing birds", referencing his cat who he uses as an emotional support animal.

[@maineiacial]

idk if youve done the uncluded but....yeah delicate cycle or aquarium i think would get your grey matter quivering

[@saladz3657]

That’s a real arcade. 😂

[@RemAtmos]

I wonder if he had some bad experiences w women in his local music scene and his phone number got leaked onto the walls at the CBGB women’s room

[@akira1086]

Nope, it's referencing a famous place with graffiti on the walls where some numbers are written alongside text saying "call for a good time" if that makes sense. Thus referencing those walls is a way of confirming his number.