Bazooka Tooth is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Definitive Jux in 2003.[1]

Bazooka Tooth
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2003 (2003-09-23)
GenreHip hop
Length70:05
LabelDefinitive Jux
Producer
Aesop Rock chronology
Daylight
(2002)
Bazooka Tooth
(2003)
Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives
(2005)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Alternative Press4/5[4]
Blender     [5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
HipHopDX7.5/10[7]
Los Angeles Times    [8]
Mojo     [9]
Pitchfork8.2/10[10]
Rolling Stone     [11]
Stylus MagazineB[12]

Bazooka Tooth received generally favorable reviews from critics. Metacritic gave the album a score of 74 out of 100, based on 16 reviews.[2]

Rollie Pemberton of Pitchfork called Bazooka Tooth "another strong outing from one of underground hip-hop's most talented, thanks in no small part to its unprecedented wealth of lyrical depth and individual production style."[10] Thomas Quinlan of Exclaim! commented that "Aesop drops abstract poetry, heartfelt stories and new millennial b-boyisms in his gruff monotone flow."[13] Francis Henville of Stylus Magazine noted that "the beats feel somewhat restrained, lethargic and lazy" and "they are perfectly suited to Aesop's limpid down-tempo rhymes."[12]

Meanwhile, John Bush of AllMusic felt that Bazooka Tooth lacks "the catchy, sample-driven flavor" of Labor Days.[3] David Morris of PopMatters gave the album an unfavorable review and said, "Bazooka Tooth is almost a textbook example of what happens when a previously struggling artist gets a handful of success".[1]

In 2013, Danny Brown named it one of his 25 favorite albums.[14]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Bazooka Tooth"Ian BavitzAesop Rock2:25
2."N.Y. Electric"BavitzAesop Rock5:10
3."Easy"BavitzAesop Rock5:01
4."No Jumper Cables"BavitzAesop Rock5:06
5."Limelighters" (featuring Camp Lo)Aesop Rock4:33
6."Super Fluke"BavitzAesop Rock4:51
7."Cook It Up" (featuring Party Fun Action Committee)Blockhead3:45
8."Freeze"BavitzAesop Rock5:32
9."We're Famous" (featuring El-P)El-P6:21
10."Babies With Guns"BavitzBlockhead5:07
11."The Greatest Pac-Man Victory in History"BavitzAesop Rock4:48
12."Frijoles"BavitzAesop Rock3:48
13."11:35" (featuring Mr. Lif)Blockhead4:23
14."Kill the Messenger"BavitzAesop Rock4:54
15."Mars Attacks"BavitzAesop Rock4:39

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

  • El-Pexecutive producer
  • Nasa – engineering, mixing (all tracks)
  • Spence Boogie – assistant engineer (all tracks)
  • Tippy – mastering engineer (all tracks)
  • DJ Cip One – scratches (1–3, 6)
  • DJ paWL – scratches (9)
  • Jer – pots and pans (1)
  • Cannibal Ox – additional vocals[a]
  • S.A. Smash – additional vocals[a]
  • Party Fun Action Committee – additional vocals[a]
  • Murs – additional vocals[a]
  • Tomer Hanuka – illustrations
  • Dan Ezra Lang – design and logos
  • Ben Colen – photos
  • Jesse Ferguson – product manager

Charts

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Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[16] 112
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 7
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 44

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Credited as "additional trash talking and malarchy" with no track numbers specified.

References

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  1. ^ a b Morris, David (November 10, 2003). "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews for Bazooka Tooth by Aesop Rock". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Bush, John. "Bazooka Tooth – Aesop Rock". AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ^ "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Alternative Press. No. 184. November 2003. p. 116.
  5. ^ Ryan, Chris (November 2003). "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Blender. No. 21. p. 108. Archived from the original on August 8, 2004. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Drumming, Neil (September 26, 2003). "Bazooka Tooth; Seven's Travels". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  7. ^ chrisk; J-23 (September 30, 2003). "Aesop Rock – Bazooka Tooth". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 12, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Hochman, Steve (November 30, 2003). "Aesop's raps need a sharper setting". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Mojo. No. 119. October 2003. p. 118.
  10. ^ a b Pemberton, Rollie (October 22, 2003). "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  11. ^ Hoard, Christian (December 11, 2003). "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 2, 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Henville, Francis (January 8, 2004). "Aesop Rock – Bazooka Tooth – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  13. ^ Quinlan, Thomas (January 1, 2006). "Aesop Rock: Bazooka Tooth". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  14. ^ Nostro, Laruren (October 1, 2013). "Danny Brown's 25 Favorite Albums – 23. Aesop Rock, Bazooka Tooth (2003)". Complex. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  15. ^ Bazooka Tooth (Media notes). Aesop Rock. Definitive Jux. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  17. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  18. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  19. ^ "Aesop Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
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