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Eyedea & Abilities

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Eyedea (left) DJ Abilities (right)
Eyedea & Abilities was an American rap duo consisting of DJ Abilities and rapper Eyedea, who was notably known for his freestyle skills and battles.  In October 2010, Eyedea passed away. His non-battle rhymes were generally philosophically or thematically based, and often told a definite narrative.

QUICK BIO TABLE
MEMBERS: Eyedea, DJ Abilities
FORMER MEMBERS:
ORIGIN: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
YEARS ACTIVE: 1998 - 2010
LABELS: Rhymesayers, Epitaph
WEBSITE
MYSPACE

FACEBOOK
TWITTER

YOUTUBE
BIO  Eyedea (who also performed under the name Oliver Hart and with freestyle group Face Candy, became widely known because of his battle and freestyle skills. Eyedea was best known for his victory at the Blaze Battle, which was aired on HBO, showing some of the best underground battlers in action. Eyedea originally toured with Slug and other Rhymesayers crew. He made the jump from a battle emcee with the release of his first album First Born by joining forces with DJ Abilities. DJ Abilities was known for winning three DMC awards and for his work on his mixtapes and 1200 Hobos. Following a solo effort by Eyedea in 2002 under the name Oliver Hart, Eyedea and Abilities released E&A in 2004, which returned Eyedea back to his battle rapper roots.

After the success of the E&A album, Eyedea released "This Is Where We Were" in 2006 with his live freestyle/jazz group Face Candy. Around the same time, he went on to form Carbon Carousel, an alternative rock band made up of other Twin Cities musicians. They have released one EP titled "The Some of All Things or: The Healing Power of Scab Picking", in addition to two singles, both containing three songs. This brought on speculation that Eyedea & Abilities were no longer together. However, in August 2007, the duo announced on their Myspace that they would be at the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop performing old songs, as well as new material.

Eyedea & Abilities returned to the road in the Winter of 2007 with their 'Appetite For Distraction Tour'. Accompanied by fellow Minnesota artists Kristoff Krane and Sector7G, the tour was mainly on the west coast until the Spring of 2008 when the duo brought the 'Appetite For Distraction Tour' to listeners in east coast cities. The tour has garnered excitement from fans, as E&A had taken a four year hiatus, and the duo's next album was one of the most anticipated among the independent hip hop scene. The album By The Throat was released through Rhymesayers Entertainment on July 21 2009.

In 2007, Eyedea created a book of poetry and art with painter Louis N. LaPierre, who is also responsible for Face Candy's 'This Is Where We Were' album art. The book was titled 'Once A Queen... Always A Creep'. Only 60 copies were made. It was on sale during Eyedea & Abilities 'Appetite For Distraction' Tour.

Eyedea, was also the founder of Minnesota-based independent record label Crushkill Recordings. The label is host to experimental hip hop band Abzorbr, as well as his rock band Carbon Carousel.

On October 17, 2010, Eyedea's mother posted on Michael's Facebook page that the young artist died. She has set up a memorial fund for him.
DISCOGRAPHY
Eyedea
•  The Many Faces of Oliver Hart (2002)
•  This Is Where We Were (2006) (with Face Candy)
•  The Some of All Things or: The Healing Power of Scab Picking (2007) (By Carbon Carousel)
•  E&A Road Mix (2003)

DJ Abilities
•  Finally (1997, Rhymesayers)
•  For Persons With DJ Abilities (2000, Rhymesayers)
•  Fantastic Damage (May 14, 2002, Def Jux)
•  The Anti-Album (2004, Rhymesayers)



First Born (2001)
Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment
Purchase

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First Born is the debut album by Eyedea & Abilities released in 2001 on Rhymesayers Entertainment.  The album is largely abstract hip hop, with the lyrical content ranging from Platonian philosophy to traditional emceeing. DJ Abilities produced the entire album.

Track List
1.     One  
2.     Music Music    
3.     Birth of a Fish  
4.     ...Powdered Water Too (Part 1)    
5.     ...Powdered Water Too (Part 2)      
6.     Color My World Mine   
7.     Liquid Sovereignty     
8.     A Murder of Memories      
9.     Blindly Firing     
10.   Big Shots
11.   Void (Internal Theory)     
12.   The Dive (Part 1)     
13.   The Dive (Part 2)     
14.   Well-Being (DJ Abilities solo)    
15.   Read Wiped in Blue    
16.   Void (External Theory)     
17.  On This I Stand      
18.  Before and After (featuring Blueprint)

E&A (2004)
Label: Epitaph Records
Purchase

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E&A is the second album by Eyedea & Abilities released on March 23, 2004 on Epitaph Records. On this album, DJ Abilities continues experimenting with different styles, and his production grows much more layered and complex. Eyedea seems to move away from introspective story-telling and towards old school hip hop.

Track List
01. Reintroducing
02. Now
03. Kept
04. Exhausted Love
05. Star Destroyer
06. Paradise
07. One Twenty
08. Man Vs. Ape
09. Get Along
10. Two Men And A Lady
11. E&A Day
12. Act Right
13. Glass

By The Throat (2009)
Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment
Purchase

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By The Throat is the third and final album by Eyedea & Abilities released on June 21, 2009 on Rhymesayers Entertainement.. In their latest album, Eyedea & Abilities have experimented with a new rock sound using distorted guitar combined with drumming and DJ Abilities scratching. Abilities plays less of a role in this album and Eyedea has added in singing in addition to his rapping.

Track List
1 hay fever
2 spin cycle
3 time flies when you have a gun
4 burn fetish
5 sky diver
6 junk
7 forgive me for my synapses
8 this story
9 factory
10 smile
11 by the throat

Latest News


10/17/10 - Eyedea dies at age 28

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