Eyedea

Eyedea & Abilities came together in Minneapolis around 2001, when rapper Michael Larsen (Eyedea) met producer Aaron Mader (Abilities) at an open mic. Their debut album 'First Born' arrived that same year, making a noticeable dent in the underground scene with its sharp wordplay and intricate, sample-heavy production. Tracks like 'A Murder Of Memories' and 'A Wake (feat. Slug)' showed how Eyedea's dense, poetic style could sit comfortably over Abilities' experimental, often ethereal beats.

Eyedea had been writing poetry from a young age, drawing influence from rappers like Nas and MF DOOM. Abilities came from a DJ background, pulling from electronica and breakbeat. That combination gave their work a specific texture, lyrically dense, musically restless, that felt distinct from a lot of the hip-hop coming out at the time. They put out a few more albums after 'First Born,' though the existing record here cuts off before listing them.