Aesop Rock Taps Two Colossal Spitters For His Song "Charlie Horse"

Whenever someone asks me to list my top five rappers of all time, Aesop Rock is the first artist I bring up. His dense vocabulary, unorthodox rhyme schemes, and iconic voice are only on the surface of what makes him a legend in Hip-Hop. He is also one of the most consistent emcees, with eleven acclaimed studio albums—not including his collaborative ventures as a group member of The Weathermen, Orphanage, Malibu Ken, and more. And he continues to influence veterans and fresh faces to this day.

So it’s no surprise that I nerded out when “Charlie Horse,” featuring two of my favorite spitters—Homeboy Sandman and Lupe Fiasco—was released. You might be asking: Is it a dope track? Is my third eye going to pop open before I even press play? Well, put on your backpacks, my fellow rap-heads, and let’s dig into the lyrical feast that three of the greatest emcees to ever spit into a mic cooked up for us, starting with the production.

In classic 2012 and beyond fashion, we have an Aesop-produced instrumental that is quirky, industrial, and minimal. The melodies are simple, with a loop of sound effects and what seems to be an ironically used beeping heart rate monitor.

The percussion is punchy but not busy, leaving room for the performers. Overall, the production isn’t poor in quality or outstanding either. It’s a good backbone to support the rap veterans in their lyrical acrobatics. Now that we’ve got all of that out of the way, let’s dig into the main course: the verses.

Stepping up to the plate first, Aesop offers his signature style by throwing my brain off its axis, as per usual. I won’t pretend that after ten listens, I’ve caught every reference. But what I’ve gathered is that Aesop is stating he is one of a kind, a wayward artist in an industry full of copy-and-pasted acts.

If you’ve ever listened to Aesop Rock, then you know things like tone, cadence, and rhyme schemes are a cakewalk for him and are almost always flawlessly executed. And I can say, nothing has changed here, except for the fact that he delivered possibly one of my favorite verses of the year.

Queens native, Homeboy Sandman, delivers a laidback feature with his classic, simple-yet-alien-and-complex style. Here, Homeboy seconds Aesop throughout his verse. Some may argue he isn’t as technical as his peers here, but I’d disagree. Homeboy is subtle, focusing heavily on carrying a steady, almost hypnotic rhythm, which is a part of his unique style. I think he flourishes here.

People often overlook Homeboy, and it is frustrating. He is a rapper’s rapper through and through. And if you’re one of those deniers, look no further than his stellar performance here. And while you’re at it, name me a handful of active artists who would’ve sparred better with Lupe and Aesop, I’ll wait.

Last but certainly not least, Lupe Fiasco comes in swinging and delivers an unforgettable performance. Ever since his album, “Tetsuo & Youth,” it’s felt like Lupe has been gunning for the crown. Every new release is followed by months and sometimes years of analysis. Unlike Aesop and Homeboy, Lupe didn’t originate in the underground; it was something that adopted him much later in his career, and he has been thriving in it.

I think Lupe’s verse is a bit more thematically obscured. I do see him contrasting himself to norms, similarly to his peers, but he does venture off topic quite a bit to make dope bars land—nothing wrong with that. Unlike his peers, though, he is trying out new flows and inflections, and everything he risks lands beautifully here.

So, you may be wondering, which one of these giants had the best verse? Of course, it’s all subjective, but I’d say Aesop takes the gold, Lupe is on his tail, and Homeboy is right behind them. There is no slouch in sight, it’s three of the greats sparring in public. Gifting us rap heads something from their alien plane of thinking. P.S., anyone else catch their references to obscure VHS fitness tapes?

“Charlie Horse” is an instant classic. Sure, it may not have a hook or an instrumental progression that warrants multiple listens. But this is Aesop, Homeboy, and Lupe we are talking about. We come for the raps and we stay for them as well.

If you aren’t familiar with Aesop Rock, check out his latest album, “Black Hole Superette,” released everywhere on May 30th. If you are a fan of Aesop, what are you doing? You already have your backpack on, so you’d better go and support the album now!