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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2004)
MC Eyedea, DJ Abilities reunite for 'E&A' Fans of the rapper Eyedea and his record-spinning pal Abilities can check out the duo Saturday at WOW Hall By Ryan Murphey Freelance Reporter There are few things more disap pointing than a poor follow-up to an excellent album, especially when bum" would have never existed, Misfits would have broken up when Glenn Danzig quit and Alice Coop er would have died of an overdose long before having the chance to reinvent himself. REVIEW you have to wait a long time for it. In a perfect world, Weezer's "Green Al "First Born," the 2001 collabora tion between MC Eyedea and DJ Abilities, caused quite a stir in the hip-hop community and left a lot of listeners eager to hear what was next. Fans of "First Born" will be pleased to find that the latest album from the childhood friends — who re lease their collaborations under the "Eyedea & Abilities" moniker 'E&A,' is far from disappointing. To say that "E&A" is a progression would be an understatement. When Eyedea & Abilities released "First Born," the two "battle-rap" heavy weights surprised listeners with an album that was far more studio than street. "E&A" takes the two musi cians even further away from their battle-rap beginnings, aiming at the kind of uncompromising main stream success achieved by bands like Outkast and Radiohead. The symbiotic relationship be tween DJ Abilities' devastatingly technical scratching and Eyedea's lyrical acrobatics is reminiscent of the call-and-response solos of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Following every step of Abilities' moody beats, Eyedea's flow varies from a lazy drawl to a frantic pace — enough to make an experienced auctioneer's head spin. Like label mates Atmosphere and Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities are part of a new era in hip-hop that is becoming increasingly visible to the mainstream. Despite the growing at tention, Eyedea & Abilities' commit ment to the avant-garde is clear. In "Reintroducing," the appropriately titled first track of "E&A," Eyedea lyrically draws a line in the sand be tween himself and the mainstream, letting a little of his battle-rap cocki ness shine through. "Your candy-coated, condom-fla vored karaoke cover songs are no longer accepted, so I suggest you ••• f -: of everything yt inanaduftstoi •TOYS-Lll •MAG AZINL •VIDEOS* •DVDs* exclusively exit," spits Eyedea, denouncing the marginalized hip-hop culture that dominates the mainstream today. This album not only delivers some thing new, but demands other artists do so as well. As an emerging white lyricist, it has been impossible for Eyedea to es cape comparisons to Eminem, but after listening to "E&A," it's clear that if the two were to go head-to-head, Eyedea would send Slim back to 8 Mile in a body bag. Eyedea & Abilities will perform at WOW Hall Saturday with Blueprint, Grayskul and Sapient. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door, and are available at CD & Game Ex change, CD World, Face the Music, House of Records, Taco Loco, the UO Ticket Office and WOW Hall. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Ryan Murphey is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. Mike Averill and Max Keltgen will perform Saturday as Eyedea & Abilities at WOW Hall to promote their new album, “E&A.” Courtesy J aw .»'« A v lord of the wind films presents What Ufe #$*! Be «£ (A:) ^ | [a quantum fable j now!? THE BIJOU ART CINEMAS 492 E13TH EUGENE, OR 541.686,2458 SHOWTIMES ARE: MONDAY ■ FRIDAY 4:50pm, 7:05pm, 9:20pm SATURDAY ■ SUNDAY 2:30pm, 4:50pm, 7:05pm, 9:20pm An important film, a groundbreaking work both in form and content." Andy Gurevich, dtheatre.com "A Provocative Blast of Fresh Air" Diane de la Paz, Tacoma News Tribune "...triumphs with humor, quiet beauty, and meaty discussion." Brian Braii The Portland Mercury =RC AC A S PR . AlORDOF TrE WIND Fit?.' *$*! ih / .JJtdH t‘ r' nn marleemail n iOHN 'CSS EC'A'lE ARM'^ Sh-VEfi*^ AkDBARR :*OR > ?HOTQGRAR“ '.'ARK ViCENTE ED rO« . COK; DVC-RS-Of'-F -RAV:^jBTlNC6r ;A_£ RN'Z BE~ v 'A* 'vOMAwpWHOFFMAN* t?P ■ 1 ?\ V CK' #TSV CNASSE ;y
