Brainy wordsmith Aesop Rock and Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind Tobacco teamed up to form the abstract hip-hop duo Malibu Ken. Matching Rock's surrealist wordplay with Tobacco's spacy synth-funk production, the duo's debut, also titled Malibu Ken, was issued in early 2019.

The two artists first collaborated in 2008, when Aesop Rock guested on the song "Dirt" from Tobacco's first solo album, Fucked Up Friends. Additionally, the Hood Internet released a brief mixtape titled The Hood Internet vs Tobacco Aesop Rock leading up to the release of the album. A decade later, the duo teamed up as Malibu Ken and signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment. Singles "Acid King" and "Corn Maze" appeared in 2018, and the duo's eponymous full-length arrived in 2019. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi