Funny thing about Aesop Rock: He's been a huge part of a couple of important and collaborative rap scenes, he's got tons of admirers and collaborators, and yet he always comes off as a solitary figure ...

When rap fans decry the atomization of the genre, they usually focus on its negative aftereffects: a lack of crossover superstars, an irrevocable split between Gen-Z internet kids and boom-bap old ...