Labor Days

Labor Days
Studio album by Aesop Rock
Released	September 18, 2001 (2001-09-18)
Genre	Alternative hip-hop
Length	61:03
Label	Definitive Jux
Producer	Aesop Rock Blockhead Omega One
Aesop Rock chronology
Float (2000) Labor Days (2001) Daylight (2002)
Singles from Labor Days
"Coma" Released: 2001 (2001) "Boombox" Released: 2001 (2001)

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

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	92/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	A [7]
HipHopDX	4.0/5 [8]
Muzik	4/5 [9]
Pitchfork	8.7/10 [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Stylus Magazine	A− [12]
Uncut	[13]
The Village Voice	A− [14]

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. ^[15] 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." ^[16] 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." ^[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Labor"	Aesop Rock	2:32
2.	"Daylight"	Blockhead	4:26
3.	"Save Yourself"	Blockhead	4:59
4.	"Flashflood"	Blockhead	3:54
5.	"No Regrets"	Blockhead	4:31
6.	"One Brick" (with Illogic)	Aesop Rock	4:32
7.	"The Tugboat Complex Pt. 3"	Blockhead	3:46
8.	"Coma"	Omega One	3:56
9.	"Battery"	Aesop Rock	5:07
10.	"Boombox"	Aesop Rock	5:05
11.	"Bent Life" (with C-Rayz Walz)	Blockhead	4:49
12.	"The Yes and the Y'all"	Blockhead	4:04
13.	"9-5ers Anthem"	Blockhead	4:38
14.	"Shovel"	Blockhead	4:45

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

1. Sanneh, Kelefa (January 26, 2002). "Pop Review; The Evolving Definition Of Underground Hip-Hop". The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
2. Baker, Ernest (April 26, 2013). "The 30 Greatest Months in Rap History: 9. September 2001". Complex . Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
3. Mentzer, Robert (2005). "That's What He's Saying?". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
4. Quinlan, Thomas (June 30, 2001). "Aesop Rock: Labor Days". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
5. "Reviews for Labor Days by Aesop Rock". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
6. LeRoy, Dan. "Labor Days – Aesop Rock". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
7. "Aesop Rock: Labor Days". Entertainment Weekly : 74. September 28, 2001.
8. J-23 (December 4, 2001). "Aesop Rock – Labor Days". HipHopDX . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
9. Ashon, Will (November 2001). "Aesop Rock: Labor Days (Def Jux)". Muzik (78): 99.
10. Abebe, Nitsuh (January 23, 2002). "Aesop Rock: Labor Days". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 24, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
11. Catucci, Nick (2004). "Aesop Rock". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  8–9. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
12. Martin, Tyler (September 1, 2003). "Aesop Rock – Labor Days – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
13. "Aesop Rock: Labor Days". Uncut (54): 103. November 2001.
14. Christgau, Robert (November 20, 2001). "Consumer Guide: Salaam". The Village Voice . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
15. "The 10 Best Albums by White Rappers". Rhapsody. June 22, 2010. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
16. 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 from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
17. Strauss, Matthew; et al. (September 30, 2025). "The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.

External links

• Labor Days at Discogs (list of releases)