"I have been terrified of success, as well as the responsibility associated with it. I have sabotaged myself, both consciously and subconsciously. I have immersed myself in the struggle not as a means to an end, but as a buffer�to never reach success. Only to fail, which justifies the struggle. This album was put together as therapy. To move on, knowing that I am deserving of success."- I Self Devine, Minneapolis, MN 2004
Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California, I Self Devine exists as a testament of survival. Raised in the brutal streets during the gang and government funded crack epidemic, he strived for understanding and deeper meaning to life's movement. His father, once a member of the Solidad Brothers, taught and exposed him to the underbelly of society. In 1980, when I Self was only eight years old, his dad left him and his mother on Christmas day.
During I Self's childhood, he frequently moved around the Los Angeles area living in Compton, Watts and South Central. Growing up in Los Angeles provided a wide range of exposure to different art forms and all walks of life. Through much of his youth, his mother had him bused out for school to obtain a better education. The journeys to the outer school systems gave I Self his first examples of racism and in his resistance forced him to be expelled and change school districts.
I Self's mother, a culturally aware artist and social worker, continued to teach him about Africa and the importance of knowing yourself and history. Being that his mother was radically progressive, she thought nothing of taking the young I Self Devine to go see Wild Style in 1982. This experience further cultivated the seed she planted three years previous when she purchased him the Rapper's Delight twelve-inch for this seventh birthday. Wild Style caused a metamorphosis in the already rebellious I Self introducing him to a new phenomenon-Hip Hop.
Initially, there was a continuous struggle for I Self between gang involvement and Hip Hop. With his constant need to travel the LA area between moving and busing to school, gangs became more problematic and coerced I Self to living an involuntarily isolated life. After a falling out with gang activity, he began writing graffiti, which eventually saved his life from the downward spiral of gang life and allowed him to travel more freely. I Self would test his writing and graffiti skills while rhyming in the confines of his home until 1985 when he was then ready to proclaim himself, "I AM" and emerge on the scene. I Self was only thirteen years old.
Content with just freestylin' on the corner, a few neighbors noticed his skills and told him about the club I Fresh in Lemeirt Park (which was a precursor to Good Life and Project Blowed). At I Fresh, under the tutelage of Ben Caldwell, I Self (then known as C-Doom) learned the skills of delivery and voice projection. In 1987, I Self was featured with a cameo battle role in a movie about I Fresh. Unfortunately, the film was never released to the public.
In late 1987, I Self spent a year in jail. Once released, times were conflicted and he became more deeply immersed in the streets and vandalism. Tired of the strict guidelines at home, he ran away. In 1989, with I Self's life constantly being in jeopardy and his mother's desire to pursue higher education, she relocated them to Minneapolis, MN. With ten years of experience balancing the arts of freestylin' and graffiti, I Self adapted well into the already existing Hip-Hop scene of the Twin Cities.
In Minneapolis, after three years of many failed attempts at group projects, I Self Devine along with Truth Maze and Kool Akiem formed the Micranots. Spawned from the dissolved groups, Metro Unit and Mixed Breed, Micranots were born while I Self spent time in jail for a second time during 1991-1992. Micranots were established on the cultural relevance of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-ONE, and X-CLAN, while possessing the street edge of: Ice-Cube, NWA, Scarface and The Geto Boys.
For the next two years, Micranots terrorized Minneapolis with energetic stage presence while recording two full-length cassettes: Hoods Pack The Jam and Catacomb Files. After establishing themselves locally and building a following through performances and self-distributed recordings, Micranots were in search of a way to expand their career. In 1994, Micranots departed Minneapolis for Atlanta fearing they were close to hitting the glass ceiling that caused many other talented groups to self-destruct.
In Atlanta, internal conflicts caused the Micranots to downsize to just I Self and Kool Akiem. It was during this time, while I Self was attending Atlanta College of Art, that he contemplated quitting music altogether. Kool Akiem provided the necessary push to help I Self to get back on the grind. The result produced three recordings: So Deep I Never Fell (1994), One Hour of Ill Shit (a collection of freestyles-1995) and Return Of The Travellahs (1996).
It was at an Atlanta Lyricist Lounge show at Kaya's in 1996, when Micarnots performed with Company Flow and Refection Eternal, that a copy of Return Of The Travellahs ended up in the hands of Big Juss. This performance initiated Micranots to be signed to up and coming New York based label, 3-2-1 Records (Blackalicious, Big Jus of Company Flow, Scienz of Life, Rubberoom, Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MCs). Unfortunately, half way into the recording of their new album, the label folded.
The brief regression forced Micranots to create their own label, Mental Madness Wreckords, and release the now classic twelve-inch featuring: 141 Million Miles, All Live and Farward. During the downtime and uncertainty of the next Micranots album, I Self would return briefly to Minneapolis to be featured on the Rhymesayers Headshot series cassettes: History and Effort and become part of a legendary side project. In March of 1998, I Self, Slug of Atmosphere, Beyond (Musab) and Gene Poole formed The Dynospectrum. The Dynospectrum would be the first album I Self would record for Rhymesayers.
In 1999, Big Jus of Company Flow co-formed Subverse Records to pick-up the 3-2-1 roster, with the new additions of MF Doom and Source of Labor, and release the Micranots critically acclaimed international debut The Obelisk Movement. The Micranots toured, gained substantial press coverage and reached exceptional sales by independent standards. Unfortunately, before their next album could be completed, Subverse Records faced internal business problems and were forced to close their doors. Once again, I Self was close to success, but confronted with another obstacle.
After the rise and fall of The Obelisk Movement, I Self moved back to Minneapolis in 2000 and began production on his second album with Rhymesayers, a collaborative with DJ Abilities titled The Anti-Album. The two formed the group Semi.Official and released the album in 2003 featuring the critically acclaimed single, Crime and Songs In The Key of Tryfe featuring MF Doom.
In the same year, I Self reunited with Kool Akiem in Minneapolis to record a new Micranots record. With no label, the duo looked to long time allies Rhymesayers to help release the album. In 2003, the lead single Glorious was released. Shortly, there after in February 2004, with limited distribution The Emperor and The Assassin hit some record shelves.
After touring with Atmosphere for three months on the Seven's Travels Tour, Micranots disbanded after thirteen years. Today marks the dawning of a new day, the closing of one chapter and the emerging of a new era. I Self Devine of the underground-favorite Micranots steps outside of the broad movement of politics, religion, and injustice to tell the personal stories of those involved in the movement.
Self Destruction is the aptly named title for I Self's new album and first solo effort. The name has nothing to do with the movement KRS-ONE introduced in 1988, but rather with I Self's personality and his journeys with Micranots.
The difference between Self Destruction and previous Micranots albums is that I Self takes the time and effort to connect to the masses instead of a select few scholars who already knew the deal. How he accomplished this was years of switching his approach, lyrically without damaging his integrity. In the majority of his releases, I Self never allowed the listener the opportunity to know him, feel his personality, his humor, his pain and accomplishments- the personal struggles and personal victories and losses of I Self Devine.
Through ten months of intense soul searching and the production skills of ANT (Atmosphere, FELT, and Brother Ali), Vitamin D (De La Soul and Gift of Gab), Jake One (G-Unit, Ghostface and Busta Rhymes) and Bean One (Black Sheep, Charlie 2na, Boom Bap Project), I Self Devine delivers his most personal and engaging journey to date.
What you have is the result of 16 years of blood, sweat, and tears.
I Self Devine was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California. Raised during the gang and government funded crack epidemic, his father, once a member of the Solidad Brothers, taught and exposed him to the underbelly of society. In 1980, when I Self was only eight years old, his dad left him and his mother on Christmas day.
During I Self's childhood, he frequently moved around the Los Angeles area living in Compton, Watts, and South Central. Growing up in Los Angeles provided a wide range of exposure to different art forms and all walks of life. He was bussed to different schools frequently because his mother wanted him to have a good education. The journeys to the whiter school systems gave I Self his first examples of racism and in his resistance forced him to be expelled and change school districts.
I Self's mother, a social worker, continued to teach him about Africa and the importance of knowing yourself and history. Being that his mother was radically progressive, she thought nothing of taking the young I Self Devine to go see Wild Style in 1982. This experience further cultivated the seed she planted three years previous when she purchased him the Rapper's Delight twelve-inch for this seventh birthday. Wild Style caused a metamorphosis in the already rebellious I Self introducing him to a new phenomenon-Hip Hop music.
Initially, there was a continuous struggle for I Self between gang involvement and Hip Hop. With his constant need to travel the LA area between moving and busing to school, gangs became more problematic and coerced I Self to living an involuntarily isolated life. After a falling out with gang activity, he began writing graffiti, which eventually saved his life from the downward spiral of gang life and allowed him to travel more freely. I Self would test his writing and graffiti skills while rhyming in the confines of his home until 1985 when he was then ready to proclaim himself, "I AM" and emerge on the scene. I Self was only thirteen years old.
Content with just freestyling on the corner, a few neighbors noticed his skills and told him about the club I Fresh in Lemeirt Park (which was a precursor to Good Life and Project Blowed). At I Fresh, under the tutelage of Ben Caldwell, I Self (then known as C-Doom) learned the skills of delivery and voice projection. In 1987, I Self was featured with a cameo battle role in a movie about I Fresh. Unfortunately, the film was never released to the public.
In late 1987, I Self spent a year in jail. Once released, times were conflicted and he became more deeply immersed in the streets and vandalism. Tired of the strict guidelines at home, he ran away. In 1989, with I Self's life constantly being in jeopardy and his mother's desire to pursue higher education, she relocated them to Minneapolis, MN. With ten years of experience balancing the arts of freestylin' and graffiti, I Self adapted well into the already existing Hip-Hop scene of the Twin Cities.
In Minneapolis, after three years of many failed attempts at group projects, I Self Devine along with Truthmaze and Kool Akiem formed the Micranots. Spawned from the dissolved groups, Metro Unit and Mixed Breed, Micranots were born while I Self spent time in jail for a second time during 1991-1992. Micranots were established on the cultural relevance of artists like Public Enemy, KRS-ONE, and X CLAN, while possessing the street edge of: Ice Cube, NWA, Scarface, and The Geto Boys.
For the next two years, Micranots performed in Minneapolis recording two full-length cassettes: Hoods Pack The Jam and Catacomb Files. After establishing themselves locally and building a following through performances and self-distributed recordings, Micranots were in search of a way to expand their career. In 1994, Micranots departed Minneapolis for Atlanta fearing they were close to hitting the glass ceiling that caused many other talented groups to self-destruct.
In Atlanta, internal conflicts caused the Micranots to downsize to just I Self and Kool Akiem. It was during this time, while I Self was attending Atlanta College of Art, that he contemplated quitting music altogether. Kool Akiem provided the necessary push to help I Self to get back on the grind. The result produced three recordings: So Deep I Never Fell (1994), One Hour of Ill Shit (a collection of freestyles-1995) and Return Of The Travellahs (1996).
It was at an Atlanta Lyricist Lounge show at Kaya's in 1996, when Micarnots performed with Company Flow and Refection Eternal, that a copy of Return Of The Travellahs ended up in the hands of Big Juss. This performance initiated Micranots to be signed to up and coming New York based label, 3-2-1 Records (Blackalicious, Big Jus of Company Flow, Scienz of Life, Rubberoom, Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MCs). Unfortunately, half way into the recording of their new album, the label folded.
The brief regression forced Micranots to create their own label, Mental Madness Wreckords, and release the now classic twelve-inch featuring: 141 Million Miles, All Live and Farward. During the downtime and uncertainty of the next Micranots album, I Self would return briefly to Minneapolis to be featured on the Rhymesayers Headshot series cassettes: History and Effort and become part of a legendary side project. In March of 1998, I Self, Slug of Atmosphere, Beyond (Musab) and Gene Poole formed The Dynospectrum. The Dynospectrum would be the first album I Self would record for Rhymesayers.
In 1999, Big Jus of Company Flow co-formed Subverse Records to pick-up the 3-2-1 roster, with the new additions of MF Doom and Source of Labor, and release the Micranots critically acclaimed international debut The Obelisk Movement. The Micranots toured, gained substantial press coverage and reached exceptional sales by independent standards. Unfortunately, before their next album could be completed, Subverse Records faced internal business problems and were forced to close their doors. Once again, I Self was close to success, but confronted with another obstacle.
After the rise and fall of The Obelisk Movement, I Self moved back to Minneapolis in 2000 and began production on his second album with Rhymesayers, a collaborative with DJ Abilities titled The Anti-Album. The two formed the group Semi.Official and released the album in 2003 featuring the critically acclaimed single, "Crime" and "Songs In The Key of Tryfe" featuring MF Doom.
In the same year, I Self reunited with Kool Akiem in Minneapolis to record a new Micranots record. With no label, the duo looked to long time allies Rhymesayers to help release the album. In 2003, the lead single Glorious was released. Shortly, there after in February 2004, with limited distribution The Emperor and The Assassin hit some record shelves.
After touring with Atmosphere for three months on the Seven's Travels Tour, Micranots disbanded after thirteen years. Today marks the dawning of a new day, the closing of one chapter and the emerging of a new era. I Self Devine of the underground-favorite Micranots steps outside of the broad movement of politics, religion, and injustice to tell the personal stories of those involved in the movement.
Self Destruction is the aptly named title for I Self's new album and first solo effort. The name has nothing to do with the movement KRS-ONE introduced in 1988, but rather with I Self's personality and his journeys with Micranots.
The difference between Self Destruction and previous Micranots albums is that I Self takes the time and effort to connect to the masses instead of a select few scholars who already knew the deal. How he accomplished this was years of switching his approach, lyrically without damaging his integrity. In the majority of his releases, I Self never allowed the listener the opportunity to know him, feel his personality, his humor, his pain and accomplishments- the personal struggles and personal victories and losses of I Self Devine.
Discography
2005 "Self Destruction (album)" - LP
Appears On
1996 Micranots - Return Of The Travellahs
1998 The DynoSpectrum - The Dynospectrum
1999 Micranots - Obelisk movements
2002 Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly 12" (Track 2 Flesh (Remix) feat. I Self Devine, Musab, Aesop Rock)
2003 Micranots - Glorious 12"
2003 Semi.Official - Crime 12"
2003 Semi.Official - The Anti-Album (Emcee)
2004 Micranots - The Emperor & The Assassin
2004 Oddjobs - Expose Negative
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Eyedea & Abilities
This is what you get when you combine the very best of two opposite ends of Hip-Hop's musical spectrum. On one end you have the MC/Lyricist, Eyedea, who has proven himself time and time again not only as an extraordinary song writer, but also as a master at battling and the art of freestyling. On the other end you have Abilities, the DJ/Turntablist, who's talent from the battle, to the mix tape, to production has resonated on the underground for quite some time now. When you put these two extremes together, you get the new, innovative and exciting dynamic we like to call E&A.
Between the years of 1997 and 2001, E&A completely conquered the competitive circuit. (Winning national and regional battles such as: Scribble Jam '99, RockSteady 2000, Blaze-Battle Chicago 2000, HBO Televised Blaze-Battle World Championship New York 2000, '99 DMC Regional, 2001 DMC Regional, and many more!) During this time E&A was also laying groundwork and establishing a fan base for themselves with Rhymesayers labelmates Atmosphere by doing self promoted U.S. tours, traveling state to state selling their product hand to hand. Since then they have established themselves as a phenomenal live act, having performed with everyone from De La Soul to The Roots, to American Head Charge. (As well as doing full blown tours with artists such as: Prince Paul, Aceyalone, Cannibal Ox, Living Legends and more.)
Lauded as one of URB Magazines Next 100, Eyedea and Abilities dropped their first full length album entitled First Born in the Fall of 2001. This conceptual masterpiece caught many fans off guard, as they expected a more battle oriented approach to the songs. But as unexpected as it was, First Born proved that a powerful battle M.C. and Turntabilist could create a cohesive concept album.
"...you can't argue with the musically inventive use of samples here or the range of subject matter covered. The record carries real emotional weight because of the subjects dealt with and that's still all too rare in Hip Hop." (5 out of 5 - Will Ashon/Muzik Issue #77 10/01)
"...First Born is a decidedly indie-style Hip Hop album full of intricate wordplay, austere beat science and headey lyrical content. Those expecting slice and dice battle techniques from Eyedea or Abilities will probably be disappointed, as First born is dominated by Eyedea's introspective, angst-y lyrics and Abilities' equally moody sound structures, all late-night jazz flourishes and towering drum loops...this is Hip Hop as therapy session-freudian funk for distressed heads." (3.5 out of 5 - Michael Endelman/URB Issue #88 10/01)
A little less than a year later, Eyedea released a self produced, completely self contained full-length c.d. titled The Many faces of Oliver Hart or: How Eye One the Write Too Think. This helped showcase Eyedea's skills as a producer, as well as give people one more reason to consider him one of the best song writers out there.
"...Any review would be remiss, however, if it did not mention the breath taking "Bottle Dreams," seriously one of the most profound songs in hip-hop history. With a laid back, compassionate delivery, Eyedea tells a tale of a young violin prodigy, sexually abused by her widower father. She keeps her horrible secret bottled inside, but finds expression through writing in her diary. Finally, one day she decides to end her life, and what the police find with her body at the bottom of the lake will give you goose bumps if you are human...Eyedea's ability to make a chilling song like this truly separates him from other emcees."
(Review from Hip-Hop Infinity.com)
In the past year or so,in addition to doing numerous side-projects (including Abilities performing all the scratches for El-p's critically acclaimed Fantastic Damage, pairing up with I Self Divine of The Micranots to create the group Semi.Offical and Eyedea's Oliver Hart projects.), E&A have developed an aesthetic that will completely set them apart from the rest. The way they play off of each other as M.C. and D.J.(or more fittingly, as Lyricist and Turntablist) both live and on record, has been compared to the call and response type solos exhibited by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. They have completely meshed the worlds of the turntables and the microphone. Sometimes the very structure of Eyedea's flow is based off of the rhythm of a scratch, and vise versa. This is hip hop at the threshold of complexity. One M.C. and one D.J. both shining as the soloist, back and forth and at the same time. With their new album E&A, Eyedea & Abilities have not only grown and settled into their own but have found a way to bridge their battle driven Hip Hop beginnings with their desire to be thought provoking creative artists.
"Where there are no rules or boundaries, there I play."
-J. Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence.
Eyedea & Abilities are an American rap duo. Eyedea aka Oliver Hart became widely known because of his battle and freestyle skills. Eyedea is 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 is 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.
Discography
* First Born - 2001, Rhymesayers Entertainment
* E&A - 2004, Epitaph Records, Rhymesayers Entertainment
Between the years of 1997 and 2001, E&A completely conquered the competitive circuit. (Winning national and regional battles such as: Scribble Jam '99, RockSteady 2000, Blaze-Battle Chicago 2000, HBO Televised Blaze-Battle World Championship New York 2000, '99 DMC Regional, 2001 DMC Regional, and many more!) During this time E&A was also laying groundwork and establishing a fan base for themselves with Rhymesayers labelmates Atmosphere by doing self promoted U.S. tours, traveling state to state selling their product hand to hand. Since then they have established themselves as a phenomenal live act, having performed with everyone from De La Soul to The Roots, to American Head Charge. (As well as doing full blown tours with artists such as: Prince Paul, Aceyalone, Cannibal Ox, Living Legends and more.)
Lauded as one of URB Magazines Next 100, Eyedea and Abilities dropped their first full length album entitled First Born in the Fall of 2001. This conceptual masterpiece caught many fans off guard, as they expected a more battle oriented approach to the songs. But as unexpected as it was, First Born proved that a powerful battle M.C. and Turntabilist could create a cohesive concept album.
"...you can't argue with the musically inventive use of samples here or the range of subject matter covered. The record carries real emotional weight because of the subjects dealt with and that's still all too rare in Hip Hop." (5 out of 5 - Will Ashon/Muzik Issue #77 10/01)
"...First Born is a decidedly indie-style Hip Hop album full of intricate wordplay, austere beat science and headey lyrical content. Those expecting slice and dice battle techniques from Eyedea or Abilities will probably be disappointed, as First born is dominated by Eyedea's introspective, angst-y lyrics and Abilities' equally moody sound structures, all late-night jazz flourishes and towering drum loops...this is Hip Hop as therapy session-freudian funk for distressed heads." (3.5 out of 5 - Michael Endelman/URB Issue #88 10/01)
A little less than a year later, Eyedea released a self produced, completely self contained full-length c.d. titled The Many faces of Oliver Hart or: How Eye One the Write Too Think. This helped showcase Eyedea's skills as a producer, as well as give people one more reason to consider him one of the best song writers out there.
"...Any review would be remiss, however, if it did not mention the breath taking "Bottle Dreams," seriously one of the most profound songs in hip-hop history. With a laid back, compassionate delivery, Eyedea tells a tale of a young violin prodigy, sexually abused by her widower father. She keeps her horrible secret bottled inside, but finds expression through writing in her diary. Finally, one day she decides to end her life, and what the police find with her body at the bottom of the lake will give you goose bumps if you are human...Eyedea's ability to make a chilling song like this truly separates him from other emcees."
(Review from Hip-Hop Infinity.com)
In the past year or so,in addition to doing numerous side-projects (including Abilities performing all the scratches for El-p's critically acclaimed Fantastic Damage, pairing up with I Self Divine of The Micranots to create the group Semi.Offical and Eyedea's Oliver Hart projects.), E&A have developed an aesthetic that will completely set them apart from the rest. The way they play off of each other as M.C. and D.J.(or more fittingly, as Lyricist and Turntablist) both live and on record, has been compared to the call and response type solos exhibited by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. They have completely meshed the worlds of the turntables and the microphone. Sometimes the very structure of Eyedea's flow is based off of the rhythm of a scratch, and vise versa. This is hip hop at the threshold of complexity. One M.C. and one D.J. both shining as the soloist, back and forth and at the same time. With their new album E&A, Eyedea & Abilities have not only grown and settled into their own but have found a way to bridge their battle driven Hip Hop beginnings with their desire to be thought provoking creative artists.
"Where there are no rules or boundaries, there I play."
-J. Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence.
Eyedea & Abilities are an American rap duo. Eyedea aka Oliver Hart became widely known because of his battle and freestyle skills. Eyedea is 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 is 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.
Discography
* First Born - 2001, Rhymesayers Entertainment
* E&A - 2004, Epitaph Records, Rhymesayers Entertainment
Dynospectrum
Background info
Conceived by Rhymesayers Entertainment emcee and co-founder Beyond (Musab), the Dynospectrum was the first and only album the "group" released in the history of the label. Including Beyond, the group also consisted of Headshots crew members Slug (of Atmosphere), Swift (of Phull Surkle) and I Self Devine (of Atlanta, Georgia's Micranots crew). They performed under the pseudonyms General Woundwart, Sept Sev Sev Two, Mr. Gene Poole and Pat Juba, respectively. The album was produced by Rhymesayers in-house beatsmith Ant (Anthony Davis of Atmosphere) who assumed the name Solomon Grundy for the project.
Track listing
1. "You Can Lose Your Mind"
2. "Introspectrum"
3. "Headphone Static"
4. "Permanent on Surfaces"
5. "Breath of Fresh"
6. "The Winter Moon"
7. "Brief Interlude"
8. "Appearing Live"
9. "Southside Myth"
10. "Traction"
11. "Decompression Chamber"
12. "Evidence of Things Not Seen"
13. "Superior Friends"
14. "I Wouldn't Want You to Die Uninformed"
15. "Tenfold"
16. "Anything Is Everything"
17. "Armor"
Conceived by Rhymesayers Entertainment emcee and co-founder Beyond (Musab), the Dynospectrum was the first and only album the "group" released in the history of the label. Including Beyond, the group also consisted of Headshots crew members Slug (of Atmosphere), Swift (of Phull Surkle) and I Self Devine (of Atlanta, Georgia's Micranots crew). They performed under the pseudonyms General Woundwart, Sept Sev Sev Two, Mr. Gene Poole and Pat Juba, respectively. The album was produced by Rhymesayers in-house beatsmith Ant (Anthony Davis of Atmosphere) who assumed the name Solomon Grundy for the project.
Track listing
1. "You Can Lose Your Mind"
2. "Introspectrum"
3. "Headphone Static"
4. "Permanent on Surfaces"
5. "Breath of Fresh"
6. "The Winter Moon"
7. "Brief Interlude"
8. "Appearing Live"
9. "Southside Myth"
10. "Traction"
11. "Decompression Chamber"
12. "Evidence of Things Not Seen"
13. "Superior Friends"
14. "I Wouldn't Want You to Die Uninformed"
15. "Tenfold"
16. "Anything Is Everything"
17. "Armor"
DJ Abilities
DJ Abilities (born Gregory Keltgen, 19) is a well-respected, Minnesota-based hip-hop DJ affiliated with Rhymesayers Entertainment. With his emcee partner, Eyedea, he forms the group known as Eyedea & Abilities, also known as E&A.
DJ Abilities is well known in the Midwest for being one of the best battle DJs in the local scene, having won both the 1999 and 2001 DMC Regional championships. He is also recognized as a talented producer. He and Eyedea are noted, above all, for their ability to interact in live, on-stage, performances, as well as on record.
DJ Abilities served for some time as Atmosphere's backup/tour DJ, but has since chosen to work more with the Eyedea-Abilities duo.
Discography
* Finally (1997, Rhymesayers)
* For Persons With DJ Abilities (2000, Rhymesayers)
* First Born (October 1, 2001, Rhymesayers)
* E&A (2004, Rhymesayers)
DJ Abilities is well known in the Midwest for being one of the best battle DJs in the local scene, having won both the 1999 and 2001 DMC Regional championships. He is also recognized as a talented producer. He and Eyedea are noted, above all, for their ability to interact in live, on-stage, performances, as well as on record.
DJ Abilities served for some time as Atmosphere's backup/tour DJ, but has since chosen to work more with the Eyedea-Abilities duo.
Discography
* Finally (1997, Rhymesayers)
* For Persons With DJ Abilities (2000, Rhymesayers)
* First Born (October 1, 2001, Rhymesayers)
* E&A (2004, Rhymesayers)
Boom Bap Project
The Boom Bap Project stands for one thing...preservation of true hiphop music and culture. As the culture has progressed into a billion dollar industry, the Boom Bap Project has remained unscathed and true to their moniker - true boom-bap-style hiphop. The multi-cultural, Seattle based trio consists of MC's Karim aka Nightclubberlang, Destro Destructo, and DJ Scene. Through their trials and travails of seven years in the unforgiving underground indie scene, Boom Bap has emerged with a soon to be classic album "Reprogram," which is being released and pushed on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The Rhymesayers label is responsible for introducing a plethora of next-level hiphop including the likes of Atmosphere, MF Doom, Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities, and Grayskul, to name a few. The legacy is definitely set to continue with Boom Bap Project's "Reprogram," an album that combines the street feel of Run DMC, circa 87', with the freshness of 2k5 wordplay,and production from Seattle's best Jake One and Vitamin D - producers responsible for crafting tracks for the likes of G-Unit and 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Gift of Gab and Ghostface Killa. Top notch production combined with fierce, focused wordplay equals the Boom Bap.
The BBP first dropped the critically acclaimed album "Circumstance Dictates" in early 2001. The album, entirely produced by Jake One and Vitamin D made waves on the indie scene, and eventually lead to a rigorous touring schedule across the US and Canada. BBP smashed virtually every US and Canadian market with their brand of true hiphop, along the way securing an extremely loyal fanbase that continued to grow with each visit. The crews contacts and efforts found them sharing the stage locally and nationally with the likes of Eminem, the Wu Tang Clan, the Roots, the Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, as well as all the top drawing independent hiphop acts across the nation. In 2002, BBP was invited to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they rocked to 30,000 global music fans with the likes of Erykah Badu, the Roots, Common and Talib Kweli. That same year found the Seattle trio rocking the infamous Bumbershoot festival on the main stadium stage in front of 50,000 heads with the likes of Mos Def, Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples. Along the way, their exhaustingly energetic stage show garnered them thousands of new fans, believers and allies in the fickle hiphop industry amongst performers and the like, and a hardcore local and national fanbase. The wave of Northwestern momentum meant attention from numerous indie and major labels, and Boom Bap finally signed with the prestigious and well connected Fat Beats Records of New York City. As the buzz for the next album grew, the crew was ready to make an even bigger move, and signed to Independent hiphop's top-producing label, Rhymesayers Entertainment.
The new album bears allegiance to the classic hiphop formula and ideals. "Reprogram is Seattle HipHop, it's a unique sound that represents our undiscovered region, and more importantly, represents our take on what we feel is the true shit...straight hiphop, no chaser," BBP MC Nightclubberlang says. " We wanted to make a classic sounding album while sticking to what we know and do, and at the same time, we want to rep the whole Northwest, cuz we've been slept on and overlooked for way too long," MC Destro Destructo adds. The album does just that. With a concrete, street level, upbeat approach, the album is chock full of banging joints. To add to the all-star production lineup of Jake One, Vitamin D, Bean One and Mr. Hill, guest appearances and collaborations take the record over the top. Guests on "Reprogram" include true hiphop heavyweights Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious (Gift of Gab), the Lifesavas, Grayskul, world champion DJ Vin Roc, and their own NW based 20 person crew, Oldominion. Each guest adds their own take on that classic Boom Bap, and leaves the audience with a truly classic LP which can and will undoubtedly stand the test of time amongst other classic hiphop records. In a quest to blow up their region and rock the spot, the Boom Bap Project delivers with energetic, next level Northwest hiphop. The quest is putting themselves and Seattle and the whole NW on the map, all the while staying true to the culture and ideals passed down from the likes of Chuck D, KRS One and Run DMC. This is the Boom Bap Project...Welcome to Seattle!
Boom Bap Project is an underground hip hop group from Seatle, Washington, currently signed to Rhymesayers record label. The groups core members are Karim , DJ Scene, and Destro. The group claims "The Boom Bap Project stands for one thing...preservation of true hiphop music and culture." They have also made various collaberations with such rappers as L'roneous, Gift of gab, Rakaa, Pep Love, and producer Jake One
Discography
* Circumstance Dictates, (Rhymesayers, 2001)
* Reprogram, (Rhymesayers, 2005)
The BBP first dropped the critically acclaimed album "Circumstance Dictates" in early 2001. The album, entirely produced by Jake One and Vitamin D made waves on the indie scene, and eventually lead to a rigorous touring schedule across the US and Canada. BBP smashed virtually every US and Canadian market with their brand of true hiphop, along the way securing an extremely loyal fanbase that continued to grow with each visit. The crews contacts and efforts found them sharing the stage locally and nationally with the likes of Eminem, the Wu Tang Clan, the Roots, the Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, as well as all the top drawing independent hiphop acts across the nation. In 2002, BBP was invited to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they rocked to 30,000 global music fans with the likes of Erykah Badu, the Roots, Common and Talib Kweli. That same year found the Seattle trio rocking the infamous Bumbershoot festival on the main stadium stage in front of 50,000 heads with the likes of Mos Def, Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples. Along the way, their exhaustingly energetic stage show garnered them thousands of new fans, believers and allies in the fickle hiphop industry amongst performers and the like, and a hardcore local and national fanbase. The wave of Northwestern momentum meant attention from numerous indie and major labels, and Boom Bap finally signed with the prestigious and well connected Fat Beats Records of New York City. As the buzz for the next album grew, the crew was ready to make an even bigger move, and signed to Independent hiphop's top-producing label, Rhymesayers Entertainment.
The new album bears allegiance to the classic hiphop formula and ideals. "Reprogram is Seattle HipHop, it's a unique sound that represents our undiscovered region, and more importantly, represents our take on what we feel is the true shit...straight hiphop, no chaser," BBP MC Nightclubberlang says. " We wanted to make a classic sounding album while sticking to what we know and do, and at the same time, we want to rep the whole Northwest, cuz we've been slept on and overlooked for way too long," MC Destro Destructo adds. The album does just that. With a concrete, street level, upbeat approach, the album is chock full of banging joints. To add to the all-star production lineup of Jake One, Vitamin D, Bean One and Mr. Hill, guest appearances and collaborations take the record over the top. Guests on "Reprogram" include true hiphop heavyweights Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious (Gift of Gab), the Lifesavas, Grayskul, world champion DJ Vin Roc, and their own NW based 20 person crew, Oldominion. Each guest adds their own take on that classic Boom Bap, and leaves the audience with a truly classic LP which can and will undoubtedly stand the test of time amongst other classic hiphop records. In a quest to blow up their region and rock the spot, the Boom Bap Project delivers with energetic, next level Northwest hiphop. The quest is putting themselves and Seattle and the whole NW on the map, all the while staying true to the culture and ideals passed down from the likes of Chuck D, KRS One and Run DMC. This is the Boom Bap Project...Welcome to Seattle!
Boom Bap Project is an underground hip hop group from Seatle, Washington, currently signed to Rhymesayers record label. The groups core members are Karim , DJ Scene, and Destro. The group claims "The Boom Bap Project stands for one thing...preservation of true hiphop music and culture." They have also made various collaberations with such rappers as L'roneous, Gift of gab, Rakaa, Pep Love, and producer Jake One
Discography
* Circumstance Dictates, (Rhymesayers, 2001)
* Reprogram, (Rhymesayers, 2005)
Blueprint
Blueprint is a rapper and producer from Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of Weightless Recordings and also signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment. He is also one half of the group Soul Position with producer RJD2.
Biography
Blueprint
Over the span of several years, Blueprint has risen greatly in popularity. He first gained minor underground attention as a member of the crew Greenhouse Effect. He achieved somewhat more widespread notice with his appearance on the single "Final Frontier" on RJD2's album Deadringer. Since then, he has released one LP and two albums for Soul Position, as well as a solo release on Rhymesayers, titled 1988. Blueprint is known for his distinctive voice and story-telling ability. His albums usually focus upon a range of subjects and include many different styles of music, rather than focusing on one level throughout. He is also a skilled freestyler and came second place in the Scribble Jam 2000 freestyle competition.
Discography
* Chamber Music (2004)
* 1988 (2005)
* 8 Million Stories (2003)
* Columbus or Bust(2005)
* Things Go Better with RJ and AL (2006)
Biography
Blueprint
Over the span of several years, Blueprint has risen greatly in popularity. He first gained minor underground attention as a member of the crew Greenhouse Effect. He achieved somewhat more widespread notice with his appearance on the single "Final Frontier" on RJD2's album Deadringer. Since then, he has released one LP and two albums for Soul Position, as well as a solo release on Rhymesayers, titled 1988. Blueprint is known for his distinctive voice and story-telling ability. His albums usually focus upon a range of subjects and include many different styles of music, rather than focusing on one level throughout. He is also a skilled freestyler and came second place in the Scribble Jam 2000 freestyle competition.
Discography
* Chamber Music (2004)
* 1988 (2005)
* 8 Million Stories (2003)
* Columbus or Bust(2005)
* Things Go Better with RJ and AL (2006)
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