The often elusive Aesop Rock has resurfaced on Instagram for a good cause. On Monday (January 20), the verbose Rhymesayers MC posted a photo of famed skateboarding videographer Kurt Hayashi — who shot Aesop’s 2017 video for “Hot Dogs” — and revealed he’d suffered a stroke the night before.
“A very close friend of mine, Kurt Hayashi, suffered a stroke last night,” he captioned the post. “Please check the gofundme link in my bio to read about the situation and assist with medical bills. All love.”
Aesop followed up with a second post on Tuesday (January 21) with an update on Hayashi’s condition and again encouraged people to donate to Hayashi’s GoFundMe campaign to help with mounting medical bills.
“Every day he’s getting a little stronger, moving more, and speaking more clearly and coherently,” he wrote. “Today we finally showed him some of the support he’s been receiving online, and he was absolutely floored – just could not believe it. The positive comments and love are helping immensely – so please keep it coming.
“I also want to remind everyone there is a gofundme link in my bio. The medical bills will be astronomical for all this – so every bit helps. He’s doing well, but he has a long road ahead of him, and we want to keep the momentum going. Please repost to help get the word out if you can.
Aes added, “I realize most of my friends in the skateboard world know Kurt, but many of my music fans may not. This man is a legendary skate filmer, husband, father, and all around positive force in this world. For a little context – he shot and edited my ‘Hot Dogs’ music video.
“I see this guy literally everyday, and he’s been there for me in ways I can’t even describe. If you met him you’d love him.”
Hayahi has been the creative visionary behind numerous video campaigns for companies such as Nike, Brooks, Stumptown Coffee and Converse. He’s also contributed to several campaigns for the Portland Trailblazers.
Check out Hayahi’s GoFundMe campaign here.
76