There was a bittersweet reunion at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado on Friday night (September 19).
Atmosphere, Living Legends, Hieroglyphics, Immortal Technique, Dilated Peoples and the CunninLynguists descended on the historic venue for what would mark Ant and Slug’s final show of the season. But the sold-out crowd was likely unaware of just how emotional the concert would be—at least for some.
Just weeks prior, Living Legends MC Aesop (or Aesop the Black Wolf) died suddenly at age 51. It ripped a gaping hole through the longtime group, leaving The Grouch, Bicaso, Eligh, Sunspot Jonz, Scarub and Luckyiam left to carry on the Living Legends’ legacy without him.
The Red Rocks performance, which marked the Legends’ first since Aesop’s death, came only four days after they buried him in his hometown of Fresno, California. Understandably, the show carried a bit of sadness as some of the members struggled to keep their composure throughout the evening. But there was also a lot of light—figuratively and literally. Toward the beginning of the set, Slug joined the Legends to perform his verse from “Moving at the Speed of Life,” which originally included Aesop.
The audience was instructed to turn their cell phone flashlights on in tribute, creating a sea of white lights that stretched all the way to the top of the 2.5 miles of seating.
Rocking T-shirts that read “Legends Never Die” on the back and a photo of Aesop on the front, the Legends crushed their set despite the tremendous sorrow they were feeling without Aesop beside them. There was a strong sense, however, that Aesop was there in spirit—and several of the other performers took notice, too.
Hieroglyphics and Atmosphere all took a moment to recognize Aesop and show love to the rest of the Legends during their sets. Hugs were given out in abundance backstage as Legends’ longtime friends and fellow crewmates continue to grapple with his death. But music, of course, was the common thread tying everyone together and proved to be cathartic.
Hiero—comprised of Tajai, Casual, Pep Love, Del the Funky Homosapien, A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, Domino and DJ Toure—delivered a career-spanning setlist that included Souls of Mischief’s “Make Your Mind Up” and “93 Til Infinity” as well as Del’s platinum-selling Gorillaz collaboration, “Clint Eastwood, and the Deltron 3030 single “Virus.”
Something about seeing the nine members of Hiero onstage 32 years after Souls of Mischief dropped their prophetic debut, 93 ’til Infinity, and more than 25 years after Hiero released 3rd Eye Vision was transcendent, almost like a religious experience.
Unlike the revolving door of current mainstream rappers getting chewed up and spit out by the music industry, Hiero has stood the test of time—and Tajai has a theory as to how.
“We’re one of the last crews left,” Tajai tells AllHipHop. “We’re all here. We’re all healthy. So it’s a great experience, but it’s not something that’s rare. We really rap. A lot of the rappers in general don’t really do touring and rapping. We really rap. We still make music and still tour. And I think a lot of folks are living off of their old hits or they’re just not doing it in the same way.
“It’s not just the old rappers It’s a young rappers, too. Fools say I got a tour with like five shows on the back of the shirt, you know? They don’t have the fans out there. But we kept doing it. Think about everybody from our era who even has a little bit of fame now, they stopped for decades. I think when the pendulum swung back around to the ’90s s###, then they started doing it again, whereas we just kept making music. It does have different slants and different eras. But we never stopped.”
While Aesop’s absence was palpable, the camaraderie behind-the-scenes was a beautiful, even tangible thing to witness.
Evidence goofed around with his young son, Colorado-based MC Samir of The Reminders took photos of his two kids posing with DJ Babu, Eligh mingled with his family, friends separated by distance for years reunited and Ant was joined by his wife, making it a bona fide family affair in a multitude of ways.
Aesop may have been missing in the physical realm, but the Legends ensured he wasn’t forgotten—it was on their shirts, in their music, on the screen behind them and backstage, an illustration of just how eternal their bond is.
Derrick “Aesop” McElroy: October 1, 1974 to August 17, 2025
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