Aesop Rock

Ten rappers and the artistic movements they exemplify

Stylistically, rap has exploded, and the pieces fall everywhere from the mind-bogglingly complex to the unbelievably simple, from the brazenly dissident to the unapologetically mainstream. Rappers' influences seem to come from everywhere, but the stylistic differences between an Aesop Rock and a 2 C ... More >>

New shows on sale this week: Rihanna, Queens of the Stone Age, the Cult, Pinback and more

In addition to Rihanna and Queens of the Stone Age shows that we told you about yesterday, we've also got new dates from the Cult, the Moody Blues and Pinback, all of which go on sale this weekend. Keep reading to get the full rundown on those shows, and to find out what local music is being played ... More >>

New Denver shows: Phoenix, Five Iron Frenzy, Channel 93.3 Big Gig with Lumineers and more

Another solid batch of new shows going on sale this weekend, including Phoenix, who's coming to the Rocks with Dinosaur Jr., Five Iron Frenzy, set to play the Ogden in August, KTCL Channel 93.3 is set to feature the Lumineers, Langhorne Slim and Paper Bird, plus the Monkees. Keep reading for the ful ... More >>

The 50 best rap lyrics of all time: Complete list

Last week, we took a look at the fifty worst rap lyrics of all time. Going through all the dreck and drivel to get to the crème de la crème of crappiness was tedious and rather exhausting. This week, we even things out by taking a look at the other end of the spectrum and examining rap lyrics to f ... More >>

So that guy you see twirling the sign on the side of the road? He's probably listening to Slayer

Alright, how many times have you driven past that dude on the corner, the one twirling his sign like a madman, and thought to yourself Wow! That dude is rocking out. Wonder what the hell he's listening to? Wonder no more. Mystery solved. It's Slayer. At least that's what this particular gentleman wa ... More >>

The complete Denver music fan field guide

Denver is known for its various species of beer geeks, outdoor enthusiasts and sports fans. More and more it's becoming known for its music, and the varied climate of the scene cultivates a diverse cluster of fans, from metal heads to hippies to Juggalos. Here we have the complete Denver music fan f ... More >>

Sick lines and the stories behind the rhymes: Rooke5 breaks down some of his best lyrics

Rooke5 (aka Luke Whitrock) grew up in Loveland and Greeley, but he moved to El Paso, Texas, in the middle of high school. Though he has a self-described "southern twinge" to his personality and cites Kanye West as an influence (who isn't influenced by the omnipotent Yeezy), lyrically, he is far more ... More >>

The ten best concerts this weekend: 11/30-12/2

Ah, yes, welcome to the weekend! Long week, everybody, or is it just us? Well the good news is that we made it to end of another. The even better news is that there's no snow in the forcast, and there's another batch of good shows worth checking out. While there fair number of enticing acts coming t ... More >>

Fort Collins rapper Epoch When offers some lyrical insight into his GRIM state of mind

It's almost a shame when people as talented as Epoch When (aka Alex Koutsoukos) make an album as unflinchingly introspective as GRIM because it's almost certain to not get as much attention as it deserves, which is a lot. His lyrics, which tend to be dense and challenging, are consistently interesti ... More >>

BurntMD

Not So Black & White
Self-released

The weekend's five best concerts: October 12-14

Hola, muchachos! Welcome to the weekend! While the Great American Beer Fest and Sonic Blossom are probably the biggest draws this weekend in the Mile High City and the pickings are slightly slimmer than usual, there's still a great deal of music to choose from. As always, we have all of it listed in ... More >>

Sick lines and the stories behind the rhymes: MaulSkull breaks down some of his best lyrics

See also: Meet Maulskull, the highly prolific Johnny Appleseed of underground hip-hop Welcome to the revamped version of Quote/Unquote, our feature in which we hunt down some awesome lyrics -- or in this case rhymes -- and get the story behind the song. This week, we unearthed a few gems from MaulS ... More >>

New Colorado Concerts: Smashing Pumpkins at 1STBANK, Yonder Mountain at Boulder Theater

Smashing Pumpkins leads this week's new show announcements. The '90s alt rock band fronted by Billy Corgan will make its way to Colorado this October for a show at 1STBANK Center. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday. Yonder Mountain String Band, Aesop Rock, the Faint and Mayer Hawthorne are ... More >>

Rhyme Progression

Awoken EP
Self-released

New Colorado Concerts: Kreayshawn at the Fox, Sleigh Bells at the Boulder Theater and more

See also: - Alanis Morissette, State Radio, Adventure Club and more - Bruce Springsteen, Waka Flocka Flame, Chevelle and more - Gov't Mule two nights in September, Primus in November and more - The Who, New Order, the Script, Minus the Bear, Cursive and more - Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Odd Future ... More >>

New Denver Concerts: Gov't Mule two nights in September, Primus in November and more

See Also: - The Who, New Order, the Script, Minus the Bear, Cursive lead this week's shows - Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Odd Future, Atmosphere and XX lead this week's shows - Afghan Whigs, Amanda Palmer, Aimee Mann and Seether lead this week's shows - Mumford and Sons, Brother Ali, Henry Rollins an ... More >>

New Denver concerts: The Who at Pepsi Center, New Order at 1STBANK, the Script and more

See Also: - Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Odd Future, Atmosphere and XX lead this week's shows - Afghan Whigs, Amanda Palmer, Aimee Mann and Seether lead this week's shows - Mumford and Sons, Brother Ali, Henry Rollins and Melvins Lite lead this week's shows - Morrissey, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, Dinos ... More >>

Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Odd Future, Atmosphere and XX lead this week's shows

See Also: - Afghan Whigs, Amanda Palmer, Aimee Mann and Seether lead this week's shows - Mumford and Sons, Brother Ali, Henry Rollins and Melvins Lite lead this week's shows - Morrissey, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, Dinosaur Jr., Jackson Browne lead new shows - Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Shinedown, Godsma ... More >>

Skrillex and Neil Young at Red Rocks, moe., Dethklok and Lamb of God among new shows

Every week, just when we think we've seen the best of the upcoming concert season and that things couldn't possibly get any more compelling, there's a whole new batch of new shows to make us flip our lids. This week: Skrillex at Red Rocks in August, preceded a few days earlier by two Neil Young show ... More >>

Weekend's best live bets: Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks and more

Are you ready? This is a weekend to remember. Tonight for the first time ever, the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre will add to its renown by hosting the first ever wintertime concert with Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks with Atmosphere, Common, Grieves and Budo and Get Cryphy. And that's just the tip o ... More >>

Top ten club shows and local shows of 2011

​Here are two quick lists to warm you up on this snow day; the ten best club shows and local shows (the two aren't mutually exclusive, by any means) of 2011, as picked by Backbeat writers and ranked by music editor Dave Herrera. Find our ten best arena concerts of 2011 and feel free to peruse ... More >>

Elway, Krayzie Bone, Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson and more on tap this weekend

​Taking its name from a Colorado pop culture behemoth like John Elway could be a blessing or a curse for a band. But Elway, making an appearance tonight at the Hi-Dive with Michael Dean Damron, St. Fall Apart and The Holy Mess, gets the joke, and fans do too. Besides, a name is just a name, an ... More >>

Mile Highlights: This week's concert news, local radio playlists and top album sales

Here's what's good in the Mile High City this week: In September, Zac Brown is due at Red Rocks, followed by Jay-Z and Kanye West at the Pepsi Center and Neon Indian at the Bluebird in October. On local radio, Fierce Bad Rabbit, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, Flashlights and King Mob got some spins. Mea ... More >>

Tonight: Tobacco at the Larimer Lounge

​Beat-man Tomas Fec (aka Tobacco, who performs tonight with Beans and Shapers at the Larimer Lounge) is not only a sound manipulator, but has the warped visuals to match. Tobacco's musical creations are best experienced live for this reason, as he projects pop- and consumer-culture collages wh ... More >>

Earth, Deca, DeVotchKa, Mogwai, Hindershot, Warsaw and Adele top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Aloe Blacc, Harry Nilsson, Kid Cudi fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

RIP Michael "Eyedea" Larsen

Sad news this morning coming out of Minnesota. Over the weekend, City Pages, our sister paper in Minneapolis, reported that Michael Larsen, better known as the underground hip-hop artist Eyedea, passed away. The cause of death of the young rapper, who was just 28-years-old, is uncertain at this ti ... More >>

This Just In: Jason Aldean, Five for Fighting, Mayhem Festival announced

​Country sensation Jason Aldean, who has been selling out arenas on his Wide Open tour, visits the Odeum Colorado Thursday, March 18. Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" single spent four weeks at the number one spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart and has been certified gold. Reserved seats run $ ... More >>

Q&A with Brikabrak and Naeem Oba

AG Photography​Starkville, Mississipi is known for a lot of things: the arrest of Johnny Cash for public drunkenness, which inspired the song "Starkville City Jail." Real life American gangster Machine Gun Kelly lived there while studying agriculture at Mississippi State University. Starkville als ... More >>

Songs to shout at Yo La Tengo this Saturday night

Photo by Michael Lavine​Skinny boys in glasses, girls in knit jumpers, record collectors of all stripes, rejoice! This Saturday, October 10, college rock heroes Yo La Tengo are bringing the noise, the melody and the irony to Denver in the best indie-when-it-meant-something show this side of th ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Atmosphere at Red Rocks

​ Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Murs and Eyedea & Abilities Red Rocks Friday, August 14 Red Rocks giveth, and Red Rocks taketh away. The sprawling amphitheater is so storied at this point that it tests performers playing it like few venues in the country -- and not everyone passes. That was certain ... More >>

A quick look at albums due out this summer

Friday Rap-Up: Maestro Jeff Hughes, Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Kanye West

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Thursday, October 18, Cervantes' Masterpiece, 1-866-455-2263; Friday, October 19, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399.

On the Download

Free music, yours for the taking.

Hip-Hop Sans Hova

Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some lovable limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down.

Nationalistic 2005

The rest of the planet generated some good CDs this year, too.

Catching Rayz

C-Rayz Walz digs the underground.

Aesop Rock

Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives (Definitive Jux)

The Beatdown

Teaching the Rockies how to rock the Rockies.

For the Record

For national releases, 2003 wonked as much as it rocked.

Rock Steady

Don't call Aesop Rock the savior of hip-hop. He's just trying to be original.

Critic's Choice

Atmosphere

Mercy Mercy Me

MURS is already a legend. Now if he can just get folks to stop thinking of him as the new guy.

Critic's Choice

Mr. Lif

Discmania

Backbeat writers revisit their favorite albums of the year.