Today marks the arrival of another new single from Aesop Rock, picking up where his recent drop “Rogue Wave” left off in the abstract department. At this point, however, would you really expect anything less from the Rhymesayers lyricist, whom Lupe Fiasco once declared to be one of hip-hop’s few elite emcees. “Pizza Alley” boasts some of his most thought-provoking bars in a minute, with Aesop kicking off the song with some lines that would stump The Riddler.

“Keep it classy, key to Pizza Alley, weaving traffic in an overheating taxi,” he spits. “In Lima, tickets to liberate the center, pitch surrender to a witch doctor pouring amphibians out the blender.” One would need an army of ambitious undergraduates to handle the Genius annotations on this one. But that’s part of the fun of the Aesop Rock experience, isn’t it? Poring over each line for hidden meaning, provided one has the patience and imagination for it. “The strays in the plaza look happier than my neighbors, they answer to Paddington Bear in waders, it’s amazers,” he marvels, as we all smile and nod knowingly. 

Check it out for yourself now, and sound off with your own interpretations in the comment section below — if you dare.

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Cozy local woven goods, beaded shit for people you have never met or spoken to,
But know they’ll need to hold Peru,
throw a couple logs on the fire,
There’s a chimney in San Blas where you can hear Baby Dayliner bouncing softly off the navy blue,
April showers, paper moon, run the light, and beat the drum
And smoke the dope, and raid the tomb