On Black Hole Superette, Aesop Rock explors the way unseen forces shape a person’s movements through modern life. Opener “Secret Knock” depicts Aesop navigating a series of clandestine back alley organizations: “Code names get thrown around between club houses with secret knocks,” while on “Checkers,” the MC spots an “anomaly in the algorithm” and attempts to “manage the variables” over a backdrop of moody, synth-based ‘80s arcade funk. Dreamy closer “Unbelievable Shenanigans” opens with Aesop recalling a childhood pet hamster before teasing the subtext of the album: “It’s interesting what the memory cherry picks and what it pardons/ We’re nothing if not silver lining stuffed into compartments.”
daily.bandcamp.com/best-hip-hop/the-best-hip-hop-on-bandcamp-may-2025