Labor Days

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 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" 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