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Kid Cudi might be tearing up the charts, plenty of hype in hand for his debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, but he’s hardly the first to incorporate the theme of day transitioning into night in a rap concept album. Aesop Rock did it years before him, and he did it harder and smarter at that.

The highlight of his 2002 Daylight EP are its title track and its sister song, “Night Light.” Ace Rock is always frenetic, brash, and relentless but this album opens up on a relatively serene note. “Daylight” is a melodic, poetic reflection on life and ambition. This segues into the next track, the darker, angrier twin that started wearing lots of eye makeup in high school and spent way too much time alone in its room.

Somewhere in the white noise between the two songs the listener is transported to some kind of hip hop Bizarro World. “Night Light” features Bizarro Aesop Rock flipping his own lyrics, giving up not only on hope, but on humanity in general. It’s a see-saw of furious rapping and lush beats, so if you’ve been looking for some innovative, thoughtful hip hop, it’s time to see the light.