Eyedea

For the defunct photography agency EYEDEA, see Rapho (agency).

Micheal David Larsen^[1] (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American musician, rapper, and poet. He was a freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[2]

Eyedea
Background information
Birth name	Micheal David Larsen^[1]
Also known as	Eyedea Oliver Hart
Born	(1981-11-09)November 9, 1981
Origin	Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	October 16, 2010(2010-10-16) (aged 28) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, alternative hip hop, rap rock , underground hip hop, psychedelic hip hop, horrorcore
Occupation(s)	Rapper
Years active	1997–2010
Labels	Rhymesayers Entertainment Crushkill Recordings
Website	MichealLarsen.com

Larsen had appeared as a solo artist under the pseudonym Oliver Hart, and as the MC half of the duo Eyedea & Abilities (along with longtime friend and collaborator DJ Abilities).^[3] He was first signed to Slug's independent hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment before founding his own record label, Crushkill Recordings.^[4]

Career

Eyedea first stepped into the hip-hop scene battling against other emcees at notable freestyle competitions. Notable wins included a victory at Scribble Jam (1999) and the televised Blaze Battle sponsored by HBO (2000), which was hosted by KRS-One.^[5] Following the win, he won an impressive portion of money, but was also offered a higher cut if he signed a record contract with hip hop mogul P. Diddy, to which he declined, instead helping build Rhymesayers Entertainment from the ground up.^[6]

Notable hip-hop outlets have labeled Eyedea as a freestyle pioneer. Eyedea has released numerous albums alongside DJ Abilities where the two performed under the duo name "Eyedea & Abilities". In 2001, Eyedea & Abilities released their debut studio album First Born, which included their successful single "Big Shots".

The single was later chosen to appear on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. In 2004, Eyedea & Abilities released their second studio album titled E&A, which included the singles "Paradise" & "Man vs Ape". In July 2009, Eyedea & Abilities released their third and final studio album called By the Throat, which was followed by highly acclaimed positive ratings. In 2014, Eyedea ranked #2 on Abbey Magazine's Top 25 'greatest freestyle emcees of all-time'.

Early life

Eyedea grew up near Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his mother Kathy Averill, who gave birth to him when she was seventeen years old. He is of Irish and Lebanese descent.^[7] He attended Highland Park Senior High School.^[3]

Eyedea became known as a battle MC, touring the circuit between 1997 and 2001. During this time, he won top prizes at Scribble Jam '99, the Rock Steady Anniversary 2000, and Blaze Battle New York 2000. These battles included him beating notable artists such as Immortal Technique, P.E.A.C.E and PackFM. In 1999, he made his first national appearance on the Anticon compilation, Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop.^[8] He also toured extensively as second MC and support DJ for Atmosphere.

In 2001, he released First Born with his partner DJ Abilities (collectively, they were initially called the Sixth Sense, but later changed the name to Eyedea & Abilities). In 2002, under his pen name "Oliver Hart", he released the self-produced The Many Faces of Oliver Hart, or: How Eye One the Write Too Think. In 2004, he reunited with Abilities to release the self-titled album E&A.

All of Eyedea's releases have been on the Rhymesayers record label, with the exception of the Carbon Carousel EP, which was released on his own Independent music label, Crushkill Recordings. In addition to touring independently and with Rhymesayers labelmates and members of Face Candy, Eyedea & Abilities participated in the Def Jux-sponsored "Who Killed the Robots?" tour, titled by Eyedea.

Music career

He was signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and collaborated with Slug of the underground hip hop group Atmosphere as well as Sage Francis, Aesop Rock, and Blueprint. He was also a member of the hip hop collective and super group "The Orphanage" along with Slug, Aesop Rock, Blueprint, & Illogic. Although never releasing a full CD to the public, songs were recorded and released.^[9]

After Eyedea released This Is Where We Were, recorded with his live freestyle rap/jazz group Face Candy, he created Carbon Carousel, an alternative rock band. They have released one EP, entitled The Some of All Things, or: The Healing Power of Scab Picking. This brought on speculation that Eyedea & Abilities were no longer together. However, in August 2007, the duo announced on their Myspace that they would be at the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop performing old songs and new material. In December 2007, Eyedea & Abilities embarked upon their Appetite for Distraction Tour with Crushkill labelmate Kristoff Krane and Minnesotan duo Sector7G.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, Eyedea created a book of poetry and art with painter Louis N. LaPierre, who is also responsible for Face Candy's 'This Is Where We Were' album art. The book was titled Once A Queen... Always A Creep. Only 80 copies were made.^[10]

The summer of 2009 saw Eyedea & Abilities joining the touring hip hop festival Rock the Bells for a limited number of dates, performing alongside such acts as Sage Francis, Evidence, M.O.P. and the Knux. E&A also performed at the first Rock the Bells concert in 2004, infamous for being Ol' Dirty Bastard's last performance with the Wu-Tang Clan.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, an EP of 4 of Eyedea's freestyles, previously released in 2010 but only sold at live shows, were made available for 'pay what you want' download.^[11] Guitar Party a group consisting of vocalist (and first grader) Mijah Ylvisaker, drummer J.T. Bates (Face Candy, Carbon Carousel, The Pines) and guitarists Jeremy Ylvisaker (Carbon Carousel, Alpha Consumer, Andrew Bird, The Cloak Ox), Jake Hanson (Halloween, Alaska), Andrew Broder (Fog, The Cloak Ox) and Micheal Larsen (Eyedea & Abilities, Carbon Carousel, Face Candy) released a recording of the only live show they had managed to play before Eyedea's death called 'Birthday [I feel Triangular]' .^[12] The second Face Candy album was released on May 24, 2011, on Rhymesayers. This album was recorded in two days at the Winterland studios and one night in front of an audience at St. Paul's Black Dog Cafe.^[13]

Style and influences

Eyedea is widely known and praised for his battle rap skills. LA Weekly listed his 1999 Scribble Jam battle with P.E.A.C.E from Freestyle Fellowship as one of the greatest rap battles of all time.^[14] Despite the aggressive nature of MC battling, his music is often described as thoughtful and philosophical, yet it still provides a live aesthetic.^[15][16]

Death

Eyedea died in his sleep on October 16, 2010, in his Saint Paul apartment.^[17] He was found dead by his mother, according to a friend.^[18] Cause of death was released November 18, 2010, and ruled an accident, from respiratory depression, caused by opiate derivatives, according to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office. The specific drugs found in Larsen's system have not been revealed to the public.^[19]

Various hip-hop artists went on their Twitter accounts to pay their tribute to him, such as Immortal Technique, Mac Lethal, El-P and P.O.S, among others.^{[20][21][22][23][24]}

Legacy

 

Eyedea & Abilities' star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue

Eyedea & Abilities has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,^[25] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.^[26] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.^[27]

On December 25, 2013, it was announced on Eyedea & Abilities' Facebook page^[28] that a star was registered under the name Eyedea to commemorate Larsen on the web site Online Star Register.^[29]

Fellow hip-hop artist and friend Murs paid homage to Eyedea on his track "I Miss Mikey" on his album Have a Nice Life. Also, the song "Flicker" from the album Southsiders by Atmosphere where Slug describes different sides of Eyedea and their relationship can be called a eulogy.^[30][31] In 2013, The Uncluded, a collaboration between folk punk singer Kimya Dawson and hip hop artist Aesop Rock paid tribute to Eyedea in the song "Bats" from their album Hokey Fright.^[32] Additionally, the songs "Michael" from the album Flowers for My Father by Sadistik, "Toast to the Dead" from the album The Martyr by Immortal Technique, and "Great Eyedeas Never Die", from the album King No Crown by Blueprint, are also tributes to Eyedea.^[33]

Discography

See also: Eyedea & Abilities Discography and Face Candy Discography

Studio albums

• The Many Faces of Oliver Hart, or: How Eye One the Write Too Think (2002) (as Oliver Hart)
• The Many Faces of Mikey (2015) (posthumous release)

EPs

• The Whereabouts of Hidden Bridges (2000) (with Advisor, Crescent Moon, and DJ Anatomy of the Oddjobs)
• The Sum of All Things, or: The Healing Power of Scab Picking (2006) (with Carbon Carousel)
• Duluth Is the Truth (2009)
• When in Rome, Kill the King (2010) (as Micheal Larsen)
• Freestyles (2010)

Mixtapes

• E&A Road Mix (2003) (Eyedea & Abilities)

Live albums

• Birthday (I Feel Triangular) (2011) (with Guitar Party)

Singles

• "Pushing Buttons" 12" (2000) (Eyedea & Abilities)
• "Blindly Firing" 12" (2001) (Eyedea & Abilities)
• "Now / E&A Day" 12" (2004) (Eyedea & Abilities)
• "Carbon Carousel Single Series #1" (2007) (Carbon Carousel)
• "Nervous" (2007) (Carbon Carousel)

Collaboration albums

• First Born (2001) (as Eyedea & Abilities)
• E&A (2004) (as Eyedea & Abilities)
• By the Throat (2009) (as Eyedea & Abilities)
• Grand's Sixth Sense (2011) (as Sixth Sense, recorded in the 1990s, posthumous release)

Guest appearances

• "Best Kind" by Slug of Atmosphere (1997)
• "Native Ones Live @ The Entry" by Atmosphere on Headshot: Vol. 6: Industrial Warfare (1998)
• "Monster Inside" by Anomaly on Howle's Book (1998)
• "Savior?" by Sole, Slug and Eyedea on Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop (1999)
• "Embarrassed" by Sage Francis on Sick of Waging War (2001)
• "Even Shadows Have Shadows" on rap sampler We Came From Beyond (2001)
• "Gotta Love Em" by Slug & Eyedea on DJ Murge Search and Rescue (2002)
• "The Stick Up" by Atmosphere on "Headshots Se7en" (2002)
• "More From June" by Deep Puddle Dynamics on "We Aint Fessin" (2002)
• "We Aint Fessin (Double Quotes)" By Deep Puddle Dynamics on "We Aint Fessin" (2002)
• "Miss By A Mile" by Aesop Rock, Eyedea & Slug on We Came From Beyond, Vol. 2 (2003)
• "Play Dead Til They Kill You" By Saturday Morning Soundtrack on Saturday Morning Soundtrack (2005)
• "Quality Programming" by Booka B on Basementality (2005)
• "L-Asorbic Acid" by The Crest & Eyedea + Carnage on "Skeptic" (2005)
• "Everything's Perfect" by Awol One on "War of Art" (2006)
• "Frisbee" by Abstract Rude (2006)
• "Dopamine" by Playaz Longue Crew on Hype Hop (2007)
• "Thanks But No Thanks" by Sector 7G on "Scrap Metal" (2007)
• "Head Tripping" by Kristoff Krane on "This Will Work For Now" (2008)
• "Is It Right" by Kristoff Krane on "This Will Work For Now" (2008)
• "Dream" by No Bird Sing on "No Bird Sing" (2009)
• "Best Friends" by Kristoff Krane on Picking Flowers Next To Roadkill (2010)
• "Sneak" by The Let Go on Morning Comes (2010)
• "Dead Wallets" by Sinthesis Feat. ECID on "Movement 4:6" (2010)
• "Rockstars Don't Apologize" by ECID Feat. Awol One, and Kristoff Krane on "Werewolf Hologram" (2012)
• "Purest Disgust" by Debaser on Peerless
• "Cataract Vision" by Eyenine on Afraid to Dream
• "Perfect Medicine" by Serebe
• "Savior Self" by Sadistik Feat. CasOne, Kristoff Krane, and Alexipharmic
• "Thorns" by Aesop Rock, Slug, & Eyedea
• "Chemical Burns" by Sadistik on Ultraviolet (2014)

Other media

• Eyedea was featured in the storyline of the main character in Nobody's Hero, an independent novel by Melanie Harvey, p. 164 (2010)
• In 2016, Brandon Crowson released a documentary based on Michael Larsen's life called The World Has No Eyedea.^[34]

Rap battles

 

Photograph of Eyedea battling Brother Ali at Scribble Jam 2000.

Year	Competition/Event	Opponent	Result	Notes
1998	Scribble Jam	Slug	Loss
1999		Unseen	Win
		Optimus Prime	Win
		Otherwize	Win
		P.E.A.C.E.	Win	won the tournament
2000	Rocksteady Anniversary	PackFM	Win
		Immortal Technique	Win	won the tournament
	HBO Blaze Battle	Ali Vegas	Win
		E-Dub	Win
		RK	Win
		Shells	Win	won the tournament
	Scribble Jam	Propane	Win
		Brother Ali	Loss
2001	Cactus Club	Mic T	None	verdict unknown
2004	Scribble Jam	Murs	None	unjudged battle

References

1. Eyedea's death: The police report, citypages.com, 2010-10-20.
2. "Eyedea Dead at 28; Michael Larsen, Indie Singer of Rhymesayer". Bloginity.com. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
3. Scholtes, Peter S. (2001-09-12). . City Pages. Archived from the original on 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
4. "Crushkill Recordings | The official site of Micheal "Eyedea" Larsen". www.micheallarsen.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
5. BLAZE BATTLE, Media, 2004-07-13, retrieved 2017-02-15
6. "Eyedea Rebuilds Underground Hip-hop from the Beat Up | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
7. Averill, Kathy (2014-12-10). "I'm half Lebanese, and mostly Irish otherwise" (Interview transcript). Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2015-04-02 – via Facebook.com.
8. "Anticon Presents: Music For The Advancement Of Hip Hop | Anticon". www.anticon.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
9. "Legendary battle rapper Eyedea dies". FactMag. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2010-10-17.^{[permanent dead link]}
10. onioneye. "…once a queen, always a creep. « Louis N LaPierre". www.louisnlapierre.com. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
11. "Eyedea Freestyles EP". Micheallarsen.bandcamp.com. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
12. . Micheallarsen.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
13. "Waste Age Teenland Out May 24th On Rhymesayers". Micheallarsen.com. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
14. "Who's the big Eyedea?". The Statesman. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
15. "Eyedea & Abilities - E&A". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
16. ""The Man Behind the Eyedea" - Strange Famous Records". Strange Famous Records. 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
17. Riemenschneiderurl, Chris. "Eyedea's mother speaks out, calls son's death accidental". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
18. . Yahoo Music. 2010-10-19. Archived from the original on 2014-07-28.
19. Gottfried, Mara H. "St. Paul rapper Eyedea's death ruled accidental drug overdose". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
20. Kaufman, Gil (2010-11-10). "Eyedea Died Of Accidental Drug Overdose". MTV.com. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
21. "Rappers React to Underground MC Eyedea's Unexpected Death". Xxlmag.com. 2010-10-18. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
22. "Mac Lethal - Rest in peace Eyedea. | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
23. "Rhymesayers Entertainment :: Eyedea". www.rhymesayers.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
24. "Rappers React to Underground MC Eyedea's Unexpected Death - XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
25. "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
26. Bream, Jon (2019-05-03). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
27. Marsh, Steve (2019-05-13). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
28. "Eyedea and Abilities". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
29. "Eyedea | Registered in the Online Star Register for Kathy". starregister.org. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
30. "'That Still Hurts My Heart' - MURS Honors Eyedea With 'I Miss Mikey' [SM Exclusive] - Strange Music, Inc". Strange Music, Inc. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
31. "Atmosphere's Slug Talks 'Southsiders', Writing About Eyedea and Passion Being Viewed Negatively [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]". The Boombox. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
32. "The Uncluded (Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson) – "Bats"". Stereogum. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
33. Kangas, Chaz. "5 Must-Hear Eyedea Tributes". City Pages. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
34. Fagerberg, Jerard (October 10, 2016). "'The World Has No Eyedea' documentary makes its sentimental homecoming". City Pages. Retrieved January 8, 2019.