''Appleseed'' is an EP by American hip hop musician

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerge ...

. It was originally self-released in 1999, and reissued via

Rhymesayers Entertainment Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis. History Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad (Sab th ...

in 2021. Produced by Aesop Rock himself, Omega One, and

Blockhead Blockhead(s) may refer to: Films * ''The Blockhead'', a 1921 German silent film * ''Block-Heads'', a 1938 film starring Laurel and Hardy * ''Blockhead'' (film), a 1966 Italian film Music * Blockhead (music producer) (born 1976), American hip-h ...

, it features a guest appearance from

Doseone Adam Drucker (born April 21, 1977), better known by his stage name Doseone, is an American rapping, rapper, hip hop producer, producer, poet and artist. He is a co-founder of the indie hip hop record label Anticon. He has also been a member of n ...

. It peaked at number 70 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Album Sales Top Album Sales is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine starting in December 2014. It is a weekly chart documenting the best-selling albums on a weekly basis in the United States. Up until December 2014, this had been documented by th ...

chart.

Release

The EP was originally self-released on CD-R in 1999. Aesop Rock said: "The first ''Appleseed'' CD's were CD-R's I duped at home and sold from my backpack at an

MF DOOM Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

show at Brownies, which was right below my apartment at the time." He added: "I continued to sell hand-to-hand in NY, while Blockhead started fielding some mail orders from a young internet. People would send us cash or a check, and he'd cut the covers out and mail them off." In 2021, the official reissue version of the EP was released via

Critical reception

Paul Simpson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the EP 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "''Appleseed''s lyrics are more introspective than they might seem at first, even if they're not quite as autobiographical as later Aesop albums like ''

Skelethon ''Skelethon'' is the sixth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released through Rhymesayers Entertainment on July 10, 2012. Music The album is entirely produced by Aesop Rock himself. Guest appearances include Allyson Bak ...

'' and '' The Impossible Kid'', and he hadn't developed his knack for storytelling yet, so the songs are less narrative and closer to aggravated bursts." He added: "Musically, the tracks are relatively laid-back and uncomplicated, barely hinting at the grand leap Aesop would take with the more polished production of his 2001 breakthrough ''

Labor Days ''Labor Days'' is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released by Definitive Jux on September 18, 2001. It is a concept album about work. The album's production was handled by Aesop Rock, Blockhead, and Omega One. ...

'', but they serve as a neat time capsule of the late-'90s backpacker rap era." Thomas Quinlan of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' called it "an amazing collection of songs that may end up being the best EP of the year." In 2014, Joseph Schafer of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' named it the 7th best Aesop Rock record. In 2021, Eddie Ugarte of ''Ghettoblaster Magazine'' wrote: "The story of ''Appleseed'' is also the story of a burgeoning independent hip hop scene that began to flourish in the wake of technological innovations of the era, including quality affordable home recording equipment and the rising availability of CD-R drives, which gave artists the freedom to write, record, and manufacture albums outside of the constraints of a label system."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– vocals, production (1–3, 5, 7, 8), artwork * Omega One – turntables (4), production (4) *

– production (6) *

– vocals (8) * Neal Usatin – artwork

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Appleseed (Ep) 1999 EPs Aesop Rock albums Albums produced by Aesop Rock Albums produced by Blockhead (music producer) Hip hop EPs Rhymesayers Entertainment EPs