None Shall Pass
2007 studio album by Aesop Rock
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None Shall Pass is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Definitive Jux on August 28, 2007.[12]
| None Shall Pass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 28, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 63:45 | |||
| Label | Definitive Jux | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Aesop Rock chronology | ||||
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| Singles from None Shall Pass | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[3] |
| BBC | favorable[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[5] |
| HipHopDX | 4.0/5[6] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.5/10[7] |
| PopMatters | [8] |
| Slant Magazine |  [9] |
| Spin | favorable[10] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [11] |
Music
The album features production by Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic, and Aesop Rock himself.[13] The album features more live instrumentation than Aesop's previous work, including guitars by his then-wife Allyson Baker of the Dirty Ghosts; other instruments used on the album include bass and drums.[14] Guest appearances include DJ Big Wiz, Cage, Breeze Brewin, El-P, Rob Sonic, and John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats.[13] The album's artwork was done by Jeremy Fish.[15]
In the leadup to the release of None Shall Pass, Aesop stated that his goal with the album was to increase his focus on storytelling: "I wanted to capture certain parts of my life, like when I used to skateboard a lot or when I was at junior high or when I was a kid. I want to almost take myself out of the equation, I didn't want to rap about 'me me me', I wanted it [to be] more visual and paint pictures of things."[14]
Release
Following its release, None Shall Pass debuted at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 13,000 copies in its first week through independent hip-hop label Definitive Jux.[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ian Bavitz, unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Keep Off the Lawn" | Aesop Rock | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "None Shall Pass" | Blockhead | 4:03 | |
| 3. | "Catacomb Kids" | Aesop Rock | 4:07 | |
| 4. | "Bring Back Pluto" |
| 4:29 | |
| 5. | "Fumes" | Blockhead | 5:00 | |
| 6. | "Getaway Car" (with Cage and Breeze Brewin) |
|
| 3:15 |
| 7. | "39 Thieves" | Aesop Rock | 4:15 | |
| 8. | "The Harbor Is Yours" |
| 3:58 | |
| 9. | "Citronella" | Aesop Rock | 4:53 | |
| 10. | "Gun for the Whole Family" (with El-P) |
| El-P | 3:53 |
| 11. | "Five Fingers" |
| 4:06 | |
| 12. | "No City" |
| 4:28 | |
| 13. | "Dark Heart News" (with Rob Sonic) |
| Rob Sonic | 3:59 |
| 14. | "Coffee" (with John Darnielle) |
| Blockhead[b] | 9:34 |
| Total length: | 63:45 | |||
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "None Shall Pass - DJ Big Wiz Megablast Mix" | DJ Big Wiz | 23:34 |
| Total length: | 87:19 | ||
Notes
Personnel
Contributing artists
- Allyson Baker – guitar (tracks 1, 3, 8, 12 and 14)
- Carson Binks – bass guitar (tracks 3 and 8)
- Derek Layes – bass guitar (track 4)
- Big Hollis – additional vocals (track 1)
- Camu Tao – additional vocals (track 1)
- Rob Sonic – additional vocals (tracks 1 and 8)
- El-P – additional vocals (track 7)
- DJ Big Wiz – scratching (all tracks except 10)
Production
- Ken Heitmueller – mastering
- Joey Raia – mixing
- Jeremy Fish – artwork, layout, design
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[17] | 50 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] | 35 |