| Artist | Aesop Rock |
|---|---|
| Cover | Labor Days.jpg |
| Released | September 18, 2001 |
| Genre | Alternative hip-hop |
| Label | Definitive Jux |
| Producer | Aesop Rock · Blockhead · Omega One |
| Prev year | 2000 |
| Next year | 2002 |
Labor Days is the third studio album by American hip-hop artist Aesop Rock.[1] It was released by Definitive Jux on September 18, 2001.[2] It is a concept album about work.[3] The album's production was handled by Aesop Rock, Blockhead, and Omega One.[4]
"Labor" was featured on the soundtrack of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Labor Days received an average score of 92 based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]
In 2010, Rhapsody included it on its "10 Best Albums by White Rappers" list.[6] In 2015, Fact placed it at number 17 on its "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list. A writer for the magazine said: "Glancing at Labor Days 14 years later, all the pop culture references and clever turns of phrase and wordplay tricks are finally understood and pleasant to listen to. We can't wait until 2030 when Skelethon will be just as easy to grasp."[7] In 2025, Pitchfork ranked it at number 58 on their "100 Best Rap Albums of All Time" list. The website's writer Matthew Strauss called it "an album so creative and distinctive, even among the underground favorite's vast catalog, that, once you fall in love with it, it's nearly impossible to enjoy anything else; nothing can compare."[8]
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Aesop Rock – vocals, production (1, 6, 9, 10), recording
- Illogic – vocals (6)
- C-Rayz Walz – vocals (11)
- Blockhead – production (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- Omega One – production (8), turntables
- Cryptic One – mixing
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Dan Ezra Lang – art direction, design
- Owen Brozman – illustration
- Ben Colen – photography
References
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (January 26, 2002). "Pop Review; The Evolving Definition Of Underground Hip-Hop". The New York Times. Archived April 28, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Baker, Ernest (April 26, 2013). "The 30 Greatest Months in Rap History: 9. September 2001". Complex. Archived June 11, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Mentzer, Robert (2005). "That's What He's Saying?". Chicago Reader. Archived April 28, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Quinlan, Thomas (June 30, 2001). "Aesop Rock: Labor Days". Exclaim!. Archived July 1, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ "Reviews for Labor Days by Aesop Rock". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived May 10, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ "The 10 Best Albums by White Rappers". Rhapsody. June 22, 2010. Archived June 26, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ Piyevsky, Alex; Geng; Twells, John; Raw, Son; Rascobeamer, Jeff (February 25, 2015). "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time". Fact. p. 85. Archived April 17, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew et al. (September 30, 2025). "The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. Archived October 1, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 6, 2025.