PREMIERE: Aesop Rock's 'Sharks and Minnows' from 'Bushwick'

Renowned hip-hop musician Aesop Rock has composed the score for new dystopian film Bushwick (starring Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow). Today, Vehlinggo is proud to premiere a synthesizer-driven song from his soundtrack.

On “Sharks and Minnows,” Aesop Rock, one of underground hip-hop’s finest, and band Grimace Federation have spawned a beat-laden, foreboding, and menacing cut. The cavalcade of darkly arpeggiated synths, a fuzzy monosynth lead and a hefty, gritty rhythm section evoke the kind of messed up dystopian scenario the film is about: the reverberations of civil war and the secession of Texas from the United States.

Lakeshore Records is releasing Bushwick—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Aug. 11 digitally, on Sept. 1 on CD, and on vinyl at a later date.

Aesop’s Story

Aesop Rock is known for his deft lyricism and exquisite production on releases for labels like Minneapolis-based Rhymesayers Entertainment and El-P’s defunct Definitive Jux, but score work is a new frontier for him.

“This entire project maintained a pretty smooth momentum from start to finish,” he said in a press release. “This was my first foray into working on a feature film, and this team was helpful the entire way — even in my moments of self-doubt. I’m extremely excited to have been a part of Bushwick.”

“The score is gritty, emotional, unnerving and triumphant…”

Directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott, who both helmed 2014’s Cooties, lauded Aesop’s score work and noted his connection to the setting.

“Aesop grew up in Long Island and had lived in Bushwick, so he immediately connected to the concept and the characters,” they said in a press release. “The score is gritty, emotional, unnerving and triumphant, taking us on a journey as we weave through the streets of Brooklyn.”

They had long been fans of Aesop’s oeuvre, so choosing him was easy.

“Aesop keeps blowing us away with his dense, next level lyrics, but we were equally impressed by the beats and sounds he creates for each new record,” they said in the release. “Which is why when we were thinking of someone to score Bushwick, we immediately thought of asking him if he’d want to work with us on our passion project.”

If you’re in Brooklyn on Aug. 23, Aesop Rock, along with Rob Sonic and DJ Zone, will perform a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Important Note: I would most definitely recommend you learn more about Aesop Rock, who did one of the best contributions to Nike’s 45-minute Original Run series back in 2007 (most people know of LCD Soundsystem’s 45:33 release that was part of this series). Oh, and he’s released a ton of great records, too.

What If The Union Crumbled (again)?

Bushwick tells the story of 20-year-old Lucy (Brittany Snow, Pitch Perfect films) and war veteran Stupe (Dave Bautista, Guardians of the Galaxy films). Texas is trying to secede from the United States, and New York City is being used as a negotiation tool. Lucy meets Stupe after emerging from the subway into the military invasion of Brooklyn. Together they decide to cross a treacherous five blocks of the Bushwick neighborhood — littered with looters, local militias, invading forces, and one deranged cousin — in order to get home and reunite with Lucy’s grandmother.

The film comes to theatres and VOD on Aug. 25.