Hip hop laureate, Aesop Rock, born Ian Matthis Bavitz, is coming to campus with force Thursday, May 1. Recording music since 1997, Aesop Rock was a forerunner of the underground rap scene and is best known for his detail-driven narratives and eclectic rhymes.Reviews for Aesop Rock claim he has, “introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap,” and that “listening to Aesop Rock is like taking your brain on a futuristic urban hell-ride through pop culture.”

Aesop Rock has been met by sold out shows on both coasts and across the globe. His popularity is establishing a wide range of fans. Playing music from his 2007 release “None Shall Pass,” students can expect traditional hip-hop, futuristic funk, and even some laid-back rock riffs.

Tracks are interlaced with sociopolitical critiques and inventive word-play: “Duke of early retirement pick a dream / American nightmare hogging the screen / I’ll hold the door open so you can stumble in / if you’d stop following me around the jungle gym.”

Recent Stanford University grad MC Lars, born Andrew Robert Nielsen, opens for Aesop Rock Thursday night. Reminiscent of last term’s sensation Girl Talk, he describes himself as a “post punk laptop rapper.” MC Lars has been performing for the last two years, relying on nothing but his lyrics and laptop.

His lyrics are wild and vary drastically from one song to the next. From a literature lesson on Herman Melville to a critique of mallrat Hot Topic shoppers, MC Lars seeks to preserve an image of what he calls the “iGeneration.”

He even produces his own music under the label “Horris Records” and openly encourages file-sharing as a means of promoting his music.

Aesop Rock and MC Lars are playing tonight in the Reid Campus Ballroom. Tickets are free for current students, staff and faculty.