Ian Bavitz, who performs and releases music as Aesop Rock, is a rapper and producer from Syosset, New York who helped define the new wave of alternative hip-hop that emerged in the late-1990s and early-20002. With layered and complex lyrics, Bavitz's music allows multiple interpretations, helping make his music worth listening to more than once. Born and raised in Long Island, Aesop Rock (or Ian Matthias Bavitz) was noticed by El-P, a growing presence on the underground hip hop scene, who signed Bavitz to his label. Since then, the talented rapper has provided guest vocals on multiple tracks for prominent artists and produced a 45-minute track for a Nike-sponsored iPod distributed through Apple. With these collaborations, Aesop Rock might not exactly be considered an underground hip hop artist anymore, but his music by no means demonstrates an artist that has "sold out," but instead an artist that has stuck to his original style through his growing fame.
