There is a vocal and powerful sect of music listeners who believe that a musician’s career begins and ends on the first album, that nothing will ever taste so good as the first sip. And while many emcees have peaked on the first album, the same can’t be said for Aesop Rock. His 1997 debut, Music For Earthworms, functions well enough as a showcase of his lyrical ability, but little else. Aes was a talented emcee at the beginning of his career, but his flow had room for improvement — a few times here, Aes loses track of the beat, and not in the arty-and-on-purpose-way he does on later records. His vocal tone, a bit nasal and clogged, comes off one-note compared to the versatility he’d develop later. A monotonous delivery isn’t a problem when it’s juxtaposed with interesting beats, but Music For Earthworms shows its age there as well. The beats are minimal in terms of layering and melody — this style makes an interesting prelude to Labor Days, but lacks the intimate details Blockhead wove into that record. In fact, this independent release is so rough that one track, “Live On 88.9 FM Night Train,” is simply a rip from a freestyle on an actual radio show. It’s endearing, but feels unfinished. The most notable thing about Music For Earthworms is its rarity — the album was only ever issued on CD-R and has long been out of print, making it a hot collector’s item. Illegal downloads are common enough, though, and those interested in digesting this album can do so, but it’s not as necessary as his later work. Or put it this way: Aes has re-issued every one of his older releases except his debut, maybe for good reason.