The hip-hop duo Malibu Ken, composed of Aesop Rock and TOBACCO, has released a brand new music video for their song “Corn Maze.” The song, which was released with the music video earlier today, is the second single from the duo’s upcoming collaborative album. Their first single, titled “Acid King,” debuted in late November and was also released alongside a music video. That video featured Aesop Rock’s rapping over a psychedelic-inspired cartoon of Donald Trump whose face deteriorates over the course of the song. The song itself was an intense combination of synthetic production and quick-witted lyrics. Aesop Rock’s lyricism is what the rapper is known for, and he is able to channel it well into TOBACCO’s strong production. The new song is no exception to this, as a powerful synthetic bass line is accompanied by another charged set of verses.
Both of the artists in this duo have established themselves with long careers in the music industry. Aesop Rock, whose real name is Ian Bavitz, first began making music in the 1990s, establishing himself quickly into the underground hip-hop scene. From there he began using the internet to promote himself and his music until gaining the attention of a few music labels. Since then Bavitz released many various solo and collaborative albums over the years and has most recently dedicated himself to Malibu Ken. TOBACCO is a producer whose focus is on dark synthetic beats. His main musical project is the psychedelic band Black Moth Super Rainbow, which he has worked with for over a decade. The group’s electronic music is heavily influenced by TOBACCO’s own style, one that he has carried over to his work on Malibu Ken.
The music video for “Corn Maze” features Aesop himself waking up in the middle of the night to get a bowl of cereal. He then goes ahead and does what everybody eating cereal late at night does, watches cartoons. The cartoon is about a group of characters led by a mouse searching for some sort of mystic sword. The video pans back and forth between Aesop rapping and the cartoon, with the mouse’s dialog breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to Aesop at times. The cartoon shows more of the eccentric visuals from the duo’s first video, showing the artistic abilities of both performers. At the end of the video Aesop’s daughter comes out with her own bowl of cereal. His daughter then goes ahead and turns off the television, ending the video. The song “Corn Maze” features the lyrical prowess and storytelling ability of Aesop and the powerful electronic production that TOBACCO has come to be known for The duo’s self-titled album, Malibu Ken, is set to debut on January 19th. The full album is going to be 10 songs long, including the singles “Corn Maze” and “Acid King.” The music video for “Corn Maze” can be found below.
Photo Credits: Brett Padelford
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