One the first times I thought about Aesop Rock, I ended up looking at sculptures by Alberto Giacometti after listening to “Shere Khan” on the acclaimed rappers 1997 “Music for Earthworms” Ep because he referenced the Swiss artist when describing fragility.

The last time I thought of him I was sitting at Front Row bar looking at a T-Shirt that emblazoned his current album cover for “The Impossible Kid.”

I'm assuming The T-shirt was purchased at this month's Columbus stop @ the A & R bar. Aesop Rock performed mostly new material with the help of Bobby Freedom and DJ Zone. Columbus, Ohio's own Blueprint came up on stage to rap at some point.

Aesop Rock was the most confident I'd ever seen him. The room was sold-out. He was scheduled to appear on a Late Night Television show backed by with Yo La Tango the next night so fragile was not how I would describe him anymore.

I looked at the shirt with surprise. Front Row is located in a Henderson Rd. strip mall next to Cuco's Tacos. I thought of Aes Rizzle performing “Dorks” which finds him discussing reclusion partly because of his disillusionment. (Cuco's Tacos recently added cactus tacos to their vegetarian tacos.)

Aesop Rock had the crowd chanting from the window to the wall, “Party over here?/I'll be over there.” 

This is when I looked at on my phone to see who drew Aesop Rock's cover. It was created by Alex Pardee whose previous work includes comic books, skateboards, record covers for bands like the Used, and work for the movie Sucker Punch.

I thought, this is a different sort of artist than Alberto Giacometti. That's not a critique of illustrators per se.

On the Thursday before Pride Scotty Neimett and DJ Detox resurrected the Moral Tales disco party that lifted its name from French director Eric Rohmer's 6 Moral Tales at Level.The party itself was fun. I started thinking about Hip Hop's referencing and utilization of “art.”

Something that probably starts with either Taki 182 walking past someone playing the dozens, then leads to Rammelzee and K-Rob locking Basquiat out of the studio, who gets his revenge by becoming the most referenced artist in rap currently almost 30 years after Chuck D quit being a graphic designer to focus on rap.

Wait, there might be one artist who is referenced equally as Basquiat in Hip Hop. Pablo Picasso who has an exhibit at the CMA currently.

The first time I heard Picasso mentioned was on Jay'Z's 1996 “Friend or Foe.” Where Jay-Z tells a group of aspiring drug dealers who were competing for drug commerce in the same motel that if they pulled their guns on him, “You draw/better be Picasso/You Know the best/Cause if this is not so/Ah/God Bless.”

The last time I heard Pablo Picasso mentioned in rap I was listening to Kanye West's “The Life of Pablo.”

The Columbus exhibit itself explores Picasso's poster work, ceramics, pencil drawings, parade, as well as his cubist works.  It also features newspaper articles from his first Columbus showings, and information of the patrons involved in breaking Picasso in Columbus.

The crowd was almost as diverse as the Young Thug show except the age range included an older demographic at the museum. A$ap Ferg performed at Express Live last week. He is obviously down with Asap Rocky.  He raps like 3 Six Mafia circa 1999-2000 with a Harlem chic. His new album, “Always Strive And Prosper” explores the concept of being a “Hood Pope” and has bangers with Future, and even has him teaming up with Chuck D on “Beautiful People.”

Ferg rocked a split set with Tori Lanez which included “Line Up the Flex.” When not on tour, Asap Ferg displays paintings he has done at Art Basel.

In interviews he makes a point to say he isn't just name-dropping artist because it's cool. Probably the most consistent utilization overlap of art and rap music would be fashion.

So one has to congratulate Sole Classics on it's 10 Year Anniversary Strongwater. I missed Mass Appeal and Nas protege Dave East because I dropped my wallet at Roosters.

However I did see MJ the deejay and he led a dance party that culminated in people popping balloons and having fun. Sole Classics didn't lift its name from anyone but their graphic design it always on point going back to when they were Kings Rowe T-Shirt brand.
I guess this has no point and it's just my including the Picasso exhibit in a Hip Hop recap because it all works together in some capacity/famous.