Labor Days is American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 artist Aesop Rock

Aesop Rock

Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...

's third album, his second major release, and his first on the Definitive Jux

Definitive Jux

Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...

 record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 as well as his first concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

. It was released on September 18, 2001 to considerable critical acclaim. It is a concept album, painting a portrait of the day-to-day lives of the working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

. It features production work from longtime Aesop Rock collaborator Blockhead

Blockhead (music)

Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...

, including his trademark style of world folk samples.

Labor Days is considered to be Aesop Rock's definitive work, hailing near unanimous praise from all critics, and becoming a cornerstone of the underground rap movement from the late 90's through the present.

The album was included in Rhapsody's

Rhapsody (online music service)

Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...

 list of "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers". The song "Labor" was featured in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4.

Track listing

1. "Labor" – 2:32
   • Produced by Aesop Rock
     Aesop Rock
     Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...
     
     
2. "Daylight
   Daylight (Aesop Rock album)
   Daylight is an EP by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock, released on 5 February 2002 on Definitive Jux. It is also the title of a single from his second major album, Labor Days...
   
   " – 4:26
   • Produced by Blockhead
     Blockhead (music)
     Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
     
     
   • Contains a sample from "She Is My Lady" by Eric Gale
     Eric Gale
     Eric J. Gale was a leading American jazz and session guitarist.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gale began playing guitar at the age of 12. Although he majored in chemistry at Niagara University, Gale was determined to pursue a musical career, and began contributing to accompaniments for such stars as...
     
     .
3. "Save Yourself" – 4:59
   • Produced by Blockhead
     Blockhead (music)
     Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
     
     
4. "Flashflood" – 3:54
   • Produced by Blockhead
     Blockhead (music)
     Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
     
     
5. "No Regrets" – 4:31
   • Produced by Blockhead
     Blockhead (music)
     Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
     
     
   • Contains a vocal sample from "I Will Find You" by Clannad and string sample from "The Kiss" by Trevor Jones.
6. "One Brick" (featuring Illogic
   Illogic
   Jawhar Glass , better known as Illogic, is an American underground hip-hop artist from Columbus, Ohio. He has releases on both Weightless Recordings and Dove Ink Records...
   
   ) – 4:32
   • Produced by Aesop Rock
7. "The Tugboat Complex Pt. 3" – 3:46
   • Produced by Blockhead
     Blockhead (music)
     Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
     
     
8. "Coma" – 3:56
   • Produced by Omega One
   • Features an excerpt of "Moving Forward", a track from Lee "Scratch" Perry's 1973 album "Blackboard Jungle Dub".
9. "Battery" – 5:07
   • Produced by Aesop Rock
10. "Boombox" – 5:05
    • Produced by Aesop Rock
11. "Bent Life" (featuring C-Rayz Walz
    C-Rayz Walz
    Waleed Shabazz, better known by his stage name C-Rayz Walz, is an MC from The Bronx, New York. He is currently a member of the Legendary NY hip hop Syndicate Stronghold. C-Rayz Walz has been a fixture in the New York hip-hop scene for years. He hosts many hip-hop shows and events, has appeared on...
    
    ) – 4:49
    • Produced by Blockhead
      Blockhead (music)
      Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
      
      
12. "The Yes and the Y'all" – 4:04
    • Produced by Blockhead
      Blockhead (music)
      Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
      
      
13. "9-5er's Anthem" – 4:38
    • Produced by Blockhead
      Blockhead (music)
      Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
      
      
14. "Shovel" – 4:45
    • Produced by Blockhead
      Blockhead (music)
      Blockhead is an American Hip hop producer based in Manhattan, New York. Aside from his solo efforts released on the Ninja Tune label, he is most associated with producing for Aesop Rock, a rapper for the Definitive Jux independent hip hop label. He has also previously worked with rappers C-Rayz...
      
      
    • Contains a sample from "Bucket Of Blood" by Pino Donaggio
      Pino Donaggio
      Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio is an Italian composer.Born in Burano , into a family of musicians, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten, first at the Benedetto Marcello conservatory in Venice, followed by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan...
      
      .

Singles

• "Coma"
  • Release date: July 24, 2001
• "Boombox"
  • Release date: August 21, 2001
• "Daylight"
  • Release date: 2001

Credits

• Executive producer: Aesop Rock
  Aesop Rock
  Ian Matthias Bavitz , better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it...
  
  
• Engineering: Aesop Rock
• Mastering: Emily Lazar
• Art direction: Dan Ezra Lang
• Design: Dan Ezra Lang