Aesop Rock Announces Hey Kirby Tour, Shares Videogame-Inspired “Shrunk” Video

Aesop Rock recently dropped his seventh studio album, The Impossible Kid, and the hyper-clever indie rhyme-slinger is taking his acclaimed new record on the road.

Today, Aesop has announced the Hey Kirby Tour, which will find him accompanied by comrades Rob Sonic and DJ Zone for an extensive run of North American shows. The headlining tour will include support from Queens MC Homeboy Sandman, with whom Aesop recently released Lice 2: Still Buggin’, a free five-track EP that you can stream right here.

In conjunction with the tour, Aesop has also shared a clever, videogame-inspired video for “Shrunk,” directed, edited and animated by Rob Shaw. Aesop and Shaw previously collaborated on an album-length, animated recreation of The Shining that accompanied a complete stream of The Impossible Kid. The “Shrunk” video “re-contextualizes the song’s narrative about Aesop’s adversarial relationship with therapy as an arcade videogame (one exceedingly hungry for coins),” per a press release.

Aesop also recently released a must-see video for “Kirby,” in which the rapper appeared in puppet form to pal around with a rescue cat. The track itself is an ode to Aesop’s beloved cat Kirby, after whom he has now named his new tour. You’ll find that video here.

Watch the “Shrunk” video above and find Aesop Rock’s newly announced tour dates below.

Aesop Rock Hey Kirby Tour Dates:

November
5 – Austin, Texas @ Sound On Sound Festival *
25 – Eugene, Ore. @ WOW Hall
26 – Bend, Ore. @ Domino Room
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Knitting Factory
29 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Metro Bar

December
1 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Harlow’s
2 – Chico, Calif. @ Senator Theatre
3 – Pomona, Calif. @ The Glass House
5 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre
6 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Club Red
7 – Flagstaff, Ariz. @ The Green Room
9 – Boulder, Colo. @ Fox Theatre
10 – Ft Collins, Colo. @ Aggie Theatre
12 – Billings, Mont. @ Pub Station
13 – Missoula, Mont. @ Monk’s
16 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Starlite Room
17 – Calgary, Alberta @ The Gateway at SAIT
19 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Fortune Sound Club
20 – Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom

January
6 – Fargo, N.D. @ The Sanctuary
7 – Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Icon Lounge
9 – Iowa City, Iowa @ Blue Moose Taphouse
10 – St Louis, Mo. @ Delmar Hall
11 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue
13 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ 20th Century Theatre
14 – Louisville, Ky. @ Mercury Ballroom
16 – Asheville, N.C. @ The Orange Peel
17 – Charleston, S.C. @ Music Farm
19 – Baltimore, Md. @ Baltimore Soundstage
20 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Warsaw
21 – Huntington, N.Y. @ The Paramount
23 – New Haven, Ct. @ Toad’s Place
24 – Pawtucket, R.I. @ The Met
25 – Northampton, Mass. @ Pearl Street
27 – South Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground
28 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Astral
29 – Toronto, Ontario @ MOD Club

(* – No Homeboy Sandman on this date)