Malibu Ken, the collaborative project of Portland-based rapper Aesop Rock and TOBACCO (Tom Fec of Black Moth Super Rainbow), announced their debut self-titled album last month. Alongside the announcement, they shared the lead single “Acid King.” Today, they’ve followed that up with “Corn Maze,” a lyrically dense song featuring Aesop Rock’s typically dexterous raps over a warbling synth beat. As with “Acid King,” the duo’s second single comes with a video directed by Rob Shaw. But rather than a disgusting solely-animated video, “Corn Maze” sees Aesop Rock battling insomnia by watching cartoons.
“TOBACCO and I have thrown around the idea of doing a project together since we first toured over a decade ago,” Aesop Rock explains in a press statement. “I find his production to be something special, and always wanted to see what I could bring to it. We recently found time to record some songs, and Malibu Ken was born. I brought a few stories to the table, but also did my best to let the production dictate the subject matter throughout. We hope you like the soup.”
Malibu Ken is out Jan. 18 via Rhymesayers. Watch the video for “Corn Maze” and TOBACCO’s 2016 KEXP in-studio performance below.
The duo are releasing their debut self-titled album in January
Born and raised in New York, Aesop Rock originally emerged from the city's indie hip-hop world, releasing his breakthrough album Labor Days in 2001 on Definitive Jux, the label ran by El-P (Run the Jewels). But, Aes (real name: Ian Matthias Bavitz) moved to Portland in 2008, so after nearly a decad…
