If you like your hip-hop devoid of any originality or adventure then you may want to steer clear of the rap duo Eyedea and Abilities. Eyedea and Abilities have been together since 1996 and the duo’s on going mission seems to be the deconstruction and reconstruction of rap music. DJ Abilities has won numerous turntable contests, while Eyedea has become known as a battle rap king. Both are part of the Rhymesayers collective which has created an extensive hip-hop scene in both Minnesota and the mid-west in general.

While preparing to go on tour to support their latest disc “By The Throat” MC Eyedea (real name: Michael Larsen) chatted with me about how this duo got together and what inspires their hectic, eclectic sound.

David Carr: How did you and Abilities get together?

Eyedea: Abilities and I basically grew up together. We went to high school, we were roommates… it was very organic for us to make music together. I mean, this grew out of a friendship. We have always been like brothers so it just made sense that we would make music. We just started writing music; performing, touring…it was just natural.

DC: You two took a five year hiatus then you decided to tour and then you recorded “By The Throat”. Why the long break? What were you up to during that period?

Eyedea: Hmm…It’s kind of complicated. Once we started to get noticed I got painted as a battle rapper; nothing more, nothing less. I won a competition on HBO and after that I was basically known as a rapper, even though the first genre of music I was into was metal. I fully embraced metal and hard rock and although I loved rap I was sick of being viewed as just a battle mc. I picked up a guitar and I formed a free jazz group called Face Candy. I faced a ton of opposition and took hell for doing that, but it’s what I needed to do.

DC: Explain your progression as an artist/music fan. How did you go from metal to rap?

Eyedea: I got into metal because I liked the heaviness and because I thought it was scary. The first metal disc I bought was Metallica’s, “And Justice for All.” I just thought that disc was so heavy. Then I heard NWA and I thought to myself, those guys are way heavier and scarier than what I was hearing in metal! I started listening to rap and then I got into the indie scene in Minnesota. We have a huge underground/indie scene (thanks to The Replacements and Husker Du). For me, it was not unusual to be listening to The Melvins and Hieroglyphics because to me it was all indie. I have never had the attitude of rock vs. rap. For me, it has always been indie music vs. mainstream music and within indie you can have rap, punk, metal and rock.

DC: You are on the Rhymesayers label in Minnesota. How did you hook up with the première indie rap label in the Twin Cities?

Eyedea: Again, it was very organic. Nineties hip-hop started to become more prevalent in Minnesota and the attitude at the time was, if you want to make music, just do it! It was the punk rock/DIY ethos. It was a community. It was me and 14 other guys who later became the foundation for Rhymesayers. We started performing at one or two coffee houses. We started at coffee houses, open mike nights and then slowly graduated to actual clubs and venues. We were young mcs and djs and it just took off from there. I was part of that collective so once Rhymesaysers got started it was natural that myself and Abilities would be a part of it. There is still a great indie music scene in Minnesota to this day.

DC: Seems like there is still a sense of community there with regards to the scene.

Eyedea: It really is a community. I mean there are some great rock shows, hip-hop shows and punk shows happening almost every night. The punk scene is incredible here. It’s a new kind of punk scene… it’s made up of twenty-year old vegan kids who, when they are not playing or writing songs, are starting day care centers! I mean these kids are the ones that have started the “Hug Brigade”, giving free hugs to strangers on particular days. They are behind the “Food Not Bombs” movement. It has been cool to watch this new scene take shape.

DC: Your lyrics at times seem extremely cathartic. What inspires you lyrically?

Eyedea: I guess for me, the goal is to not be contrived. The goal is to dig into myself and find truth. No matter what, I try to push myself to be honest with the music I make and the lyrics I write. I draw inspiration from the interactions I have. I am inspired by searching for the shit that is tearing me apart inside… a lot of it is just based on what I am going through and how it makes me feel at the moment.

DC: Your music also has the feel of free form jazz. Would you agree that this is also a major influence?

Eyedea: Free jazz does come into play with our music. It’s not about trying to sound like someone like Oranatte Coleman, but it’s about trying to do what he does. It’s about using that same kind of approach.

DC: As you get ready to tour behind your latest disc are you looking ahead to spring and summer? Will you be doing the Paid Dues Festival and the Rock The Bells tour again?

Eyedea: We have done both of those shows in the past and they have been great. If we get asked to do them I am sure we will. Both of those shows have a mostly straight up hip-hop audience, so at times it is a battle between us and some in the audience who just don’t get what we do. I mean on both of those bills we are really far out in left field compared to the other acts, so it can be a little rough. Audience members have been known to throw shit at us! HA!

DC: Sounds like it can be tough performing your kind of rap music to a straight up hip-hop audience!

Eyedea: Yeah a straight hip-hop crowd can be difficult. But that’s ok…I mean really I don’t give a fuck! HA! I love performing and our fans get what we do. Performing on stage is a rush, and challenges like that keep things interesting and it keeps us on our toes!

If you want to keep things musically interesting this winter, check out Eyedea and Abilities when they hit your town and make sure you refrain from throwing things when they are on stage.

Tour Dates:

1/28 – Duluth, MN – Pizza Luce

1/29 – Minneapolis, MN – Augsburg College

1/31 – Missoula, MT – The Palace

2/1 – Spokane, WA – The Blvd

2/2 – Calgary, AB – Republik

2/3 – Edmonton, AB – The Brixx Bar and Grill

2/5 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret

2/6 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge

2/7 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre

2/8 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall

2/10 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill

2/11 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex

2/12 – Scottsdale, AZ – Chasers

2/13 – Flagstaff, AZ – Green Room

2/15 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad

2/16 – Denver, CO – The Marquis Theatre

2/18 – Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon

2/19 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird

2/20 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon