Ace Norton, who directed the new Fray video, once said "Give me a bucket of blood and a camera and I'm good to go!" Hell of a motto. One that inspired Fangoria (America's horror magazine since 1979) to describe him as "Someone who truly fits the description of Terrifyingly Gnarly."

So, what is the dude who directed Aesop Rock's zombie-fied "Coffee" video doing behind the reins of The Fray's "Never Say Never," a plaintive piano ballad packing the following awww-inducing lyrics:

"You're the queen of everything/ As far as the eye can see/ Under your command/ I will be your guardian/ When all is crumbling/ Steady your hand."

Basically he's turning their next-gen Coldplay into a suburban apocalypse. Norton uses the fall out around a neighborhood disaster as a metaphor for falsetto-singing frontman Isaac Slade's aching heart. Sparks explode from crumpled cars as panic-stricken civilians sprint down smoke-filled streets among soldiers and cops.

Slade walks calmly through the carnage, ignoring the pouring rain and danger, looking for the woman (played by Gary Unmarried's Jaime King!) who brought his world crumbling down as he pleads with her, "Don't let me go!"

"Never Say Never" sounds super dramatic, right? Well, that's because it is.

Permanently scrawled down his left forearm are the words "Must Not Sleep." Down his right, "Must Warn Others." It certainly gives the impression that Definitive Jux MC/producer Aesop Rock is dead serious. And he lives up to his tats, too, delivering acidic cautionary tales dressed up as big beat rap anthems and basically keeping an eye out for all of us.Here's a sample:

"Sign of the swine in the swarm when a king is a whore who comply and conform. Miles outside of the eye of the storm, with a siphon to lure out a prize and award, while avoiding the vile and bazaar that is violence and war."

See? Smokin! It's that brilliant fierceness that has made Aesop Rock a staple member of Def Jux's roster for years. And although it has a lot to do with why we chose him for artist of the week, we gotta admit, there's way more to this MC than bee-sting acrobatics. For one thing, he's out of his damn mind.

And as much as we expect the faithful out there to simply take our word for it, we did it one better and recorded the full extent of Aesop Rock's ridiculousness when we handed over the reins to MTV for a week. He decided to use the opportunity to create his cable access show, co-hosted by beatmaker Blockhead. Do you love action? Enjoy the knife-throwing segment! More into romance? Light a candle and call in your relationship questions! Are you a nature kid? Well, this show's got a real live monkey.

Watch as the foremost in frowny, political hip-hop gives his deadpan analysis of celebrity news items, Irish dancing, perfect dates and the deliciousness of grapes. And hey, if you hate fun, there's also a super exclusive interview with Aesop Rock, immediately following the show. So hey, you see that 'Play' button down there? Why don't you go ahead and push it. Mmmmm. Push it real good.

And check out his MTV.com artist page for more videos, including an exclusive live performance and a free download of his track "39 Thieves."