Eyedea & Abilities

Eyedea & Abilities (often abbreviated as E&A) was an American hip hop duo from Saint Paul, Minnesota, consisting of rapper Eyedea and DJ Abilities. The duo was founded in 1999 and became a prominent figure of the underground hip hop scene, becoming known for Eyedea's philosophical and socially conscious lyrics, along with DJ Abilities' dynamic experimental fusion of stylistic elements from both rap and rock, as well as electronic music. The group was active until Eyedea's death in October 2010. Over the course of just over a decade, the duo had collaborated with many well-known hip hop groups and artists such as Aesop Rock and Sage Francis, playing a prominent role in the emerging underground rap movement. Eyedea's highly successful background work in rap battles, along with his greatly introspective, complex and poetic sense of lyrical integrity heavily influenced E&A's distinctive musical output and largely defined the group as a unique and stylistically independent presence within alternative hip hop.