Aesop Rock & Tobacco Are Malibu Ken Announces Debut Album For January 2019 Release

Performers Aesop Rock and TOBACCO have announced they will be working under the name Malibu Ken on a new album of the same name. Aesop is a well known MC who began his career in the early 2000s, remaining active in the hip-hop and rap communities ever since. In the past he has collaborated with various big names in the music industry, such as rapper and producer El-P. While his discography is made up mainly of a large number of EPs and studio albums, he recently created the score for the movie Bushwick in 2017. Some of Aesop Rock’s more well known songs include 2007s “None Shall Pass” and “Rings” from his 2016 album, The Impossible Kid.

TOBACCO, real name Thomas Fec, is an electronic and hip-hop music producer whose signature production style includes using analog synths instead of more modern equipment. Fec also has a tendency to record his sounds on cassette tapes and them import them into music software in order to put his tracks together. He is also a member of the group Black Moth Super Rainbow, an electronic indie-pop band that draws much of it’s sound from Fec’s production style. He helped found the group in 2000 before shifting to focus mainly on his solo work a few years later. TOBACCO’s music tends to be a mix of dark-electronic beats and highly psychedelic rock and hip-hop tracks. Many of his most notable songs come from his 2008 album Fucked Up Friends. This was his first major solo project and contained songs such as the pop-focused “Hairy Candy” as well as a rap song featuring Aesop Rock called “Dirt.”

The duo’s collaborative album, Malibu Ken, will draw upon the styles and talents of both artists, with Aesop handling the vocals and TOBACCO creating highly psychedelic instrumentals. The first single for the upcoming project, “Acid King,” encaptures listeners by providing a beat that could almost be found in a gritty reboot of the Tron movie series. It relies on Aesop Rock’s cutting lyricism and quick wit along with synth-heavy production from TOBACCO to create an intriguing and intense sound. The song was released alongside the album’s artwork and a music video based on the same visuals. Both portray what is assumed to be a cartoon drawing of Donald Trump, but with grotesquely highlighted features. The music video progresses as the face slowly falls apart and ends with it being nearly unrecognizable from the original drawing. Malibu Ken’s album is set to be released on January 19th, 2019 and will be 10 songs in length. The full tracklist and music video are below:

1. Corn Maze
2. Tuesday
3. Save Our Ship
4. Sword Box
5. Dog Years
6. Acid King
7. Suicide Big Gulp
8. 1+1=13
9. Churro
10. Purple Moss