Search - Eyedea & Abilities :: E & A

The illest scriptures killin' listeners with the real elixir

Alan Pounds | Minneapolis, MN | 08/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is probably the finest release to come out of Rhymesayers/Minneapolis in my opinion.



Not only is Eyedea one of the greatest front-men in hip-hop; he is also an incredibly talented and conscious song writer. Eyedea is in your face, forcing you to listen to his words of wisdom.



This is probably Eyedea's most "gettable" album. Meaning, it's more straight forward and focused than his past efforts. You can listen to it for the first time, and catch the fantastic production skills held within. You will get tangled up in the intensity of Eyedea's well written lyrics. You will be left in awe of Abilities "dead on the nuts" turntable work.



If you haven't read already, Eyedea is famous in the underground for winning the lyricist Blaze battle years back, before moving into the studio. Eyedea & Abilities "First Born", their first album, was more of a loosely based concept album. It had deep meaning and philosophical lyrics. It was so unique, and stood far away from the battling reputation that most people had known him for. But Eyedea is a genius; an artist that can achieve multiple heights in music. E&A proves to be a mix between First Born and a little more of his battling skills.



This album kicks it into high gear; making your jaw drop in disbelief of the amazing music your are hearing. The diversity between the tracks, shows you just how multi-layered Eyedea & Abilities can get. He trashes on other "wack" MCs constantly, proving he's number one in the process.



If you want some real hip-hop; not Jay Z, Chingy, Nelly or any of the crap that Clear Channel makes us hear on MTV and the radio; pick up this masterpiece of turntablism and lyricism."

Getting there.

kitik | Los Angeles | 12/28/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just to get this out of the way: I'm a fan of Black Star, The Roots, Common, Pharoahe, El-P, etc. At any rate...the problem that I have with this album (I'd really give it 3.5 stars, I like quite a bit about it) is that while Eyedea's, um, abilities are developing, he's not quite there yet.



Most of the songs, lyrically, are essentially in the vein of dissing sucker MC's -- as another reviewer pointed out, Eyedea is really still trying to be a battle MC. That's all well and good; but he's so obviously talented and full of potential that at a certain point, he simply needs to set a more ambitious agenda for himself and craft true songs with something more to say (remember that Canibus was also a highly-rated and much-talked-about battle-rapper...but his recording career went absolutely nowhere).



To be fair, Eyedea does try to develop a bit on some of the songs -- he diverges somewhat into relationship issues, and skims a political surface; but the treatment is more or less a raw one that isn't fleshed-out much (though he's only in his early 20s, and most people don't have much to say at that point). If he continues to evolve and branch out, which he should, then I fully expect great things from E&A in the future -- their next album or two could be great.



But to sincerely call *this* one great sets the bar a tad too low. Admittedly, there are a few songs on here that don't need a thing changed; but it isn't quite a coherent and consistent whole. And yes, they should get points for trying (and not just rapping about guns and pretty jewelry); but you need to fully earn the rest of your credit.



These guys are young and hungry, though -- and it's still very early in their careers; there's no reason not to expect good things in the future."

Forgotten culture.

Behind it all | Nowhere | 04/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the days where Atmosphere and the rhymesayers camp have a choke hold on the underground, people lose sight of what the underground is about. REAL hip-hop has been banished for the ever popular Lil John and Nelly crowds. This has pushed REAL hip-hop off the map, which makes it harder to find. Here comes the term underground. Hard to find, you gotta dig for it. Eyedea and Abilities sophomore album gets bashed for not being "deep." However, just because it is not "deep" does not mean that it is not underground. This is hip hop at its finest. On one hand, you have an mc that is very accomplished. Eyedea is still a very young rapper. In one of his songs (though i wont mention which one, just buy the album!) he mentions how he has accomplished what most rappers wont accomplish by the time he was 18 (you still with me?). This leaves some room for arrogance, and why not, the kid has skills. It is incredible to see an mc take words and make them their own. Big daddy kane, ATCQ, and (more recently) Little Brother, all demonstrate what it takes to be a dope mc, not JUST a strong lyricist. That is what it takes. Dopeness, freshness, originality; and a lot of underground mc's neglect all of the above for lyrics. But dont get me wrong, you cant be dope without dope lyrics as well. Let Eyedea flex, he does it well and its in a good place. Now, the turntabilism is dope. Abilities takes this record and makes it just as much his as Eyedea has. This is one of the best mc/dj duos i have heard since gang star. Very well balanced. This is a very strong cd and I recommend it to anybody who wants real hip-hop."