He had appeared as a solo artist and as the emcee half of the duo Eyedea & Abilities (along with long-time friend and collaborator DJ Abilities). His non-battle rhymes were generally very philosophically or thematically based, and often tell a definite narrative. His song "Bottle Dreams" is a well known piece about a young sexually abused violin prodigy who commits suicide.
For much of his youth, Eyedea lived with his mother in downtown St. Paul, MN. He attended Highland Park High School, with interests including psychology, physics, and yoga. Favorite authors include James Joyce, and Finnegan's Wake is a favourite text of his.
First establishing himself as battle emcee, Eyedea toured the circuit between 1997 and 2001, notably winning top prizes at Scribble Jam ‘99, the Rock Steady Anniversary 2000, and Blaze Battle Chicago 2000. He also toured extensively as second emcee for Atmosphere, with DJ Abilities sometimes filling in for Mr. Dibbs as tour DJ.
In 2001, he released "First Born" with his partner DJ Abilities (collectively, they were initially called the Sixth Sense, but more recently were known as Eyedea and Abilities). In 2002, under his pen name "Oliver Hart," he released the self-produced The Many Faces of Oliver Hart. In 2004, he and Abilities reunited to release the self-titled E&A (released March 23, 2004). All of Eyedea's releases have been on the Rhymesayers record label.
In addition to touring independently and with Rhymesayers labelmates, Eyedea and Abilities participated in the Def Jux-sponsored Who Killed the Robots? tour.
In 2006, Eyedea temporarily abandoned hip-hop writing and battle rapping for a new rock music project entitled Carbon Carousel.
As well as performing with Carbon Carousel, Eyedea and others had started a group called Face Candy. They released an album full of freestyles over free jazz percussion entitled This Is Where We Were.
He was signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, and frequently collaborated with Slug, Blueprint and Sage Francis.
Eyedea died in his sleep on October 16, 2010 in his St. 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]
On December 25, 2013, it was announced on Eyedea & Abilities' Facebook page[25] that a star was registered under the name Eyedea to commemorate Larsen on the web site Online Star Register.[26]
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.[27][28] 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.[29] 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. [30]
How Much Do You Pay?
Eyedea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That pave an agnostic a place to lay in decay in toxic waste
So most every identity paraphernalia to familiarize with smiles neatly
painted on a robotic face
But not this man, he played the bucket with his hands
And got paid but it was change people dropped in his can
twenty-three years ago he was a lawyer by description
But I guess all of a sudden he resigned from that position
As he blistered fingers paint down on the plastic
And in a twisted sort of way it all makes sense
While they rush to die he provides the soundtrack so tragic
He sits on the corner of 7th and 1st
And I was thirsty for a question anyone would nurse
One day I asked he why he gave up his career
He said, "I didn't, I just took off the name tag" then he added
Make Money and die that's the American Way
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
Make Money and die that's the American Way
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
So I took in what was said but I didn't accept it
Well maybe I did I mean I just wouldn't admit it
I was too committed to the belief that all the hard work from now would
improve my future existence somehow
So I said, you don't accomplish nothing sitting in the street
And I'm sure you barely survive on the pennies you gather
He said, to your surprise I make enough to eat
And I accomplish just as much as you only I stop pretending my job matters
He looked me in my face and told me I was a puppet
And what I do is no more important than playing a bucket
I still hear his voice when I set my alarm before bed
I never could wash what he said out of my head, so fuck it, it goes
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
See I could dress myself up in a white coat and say I'm a doctor
Carry an eye by my buckle wear a gold badge and say I'm a copper
Maybe I'm just a sloppy lazy crazy carbon copy part of the heart of the
deranged nation that gave me the generation ecstasy under water, I forgot
survive mind wash slaughtered by Austria's offers, caught your calls and
called your forefathers my bosses, lost it all in the name of gaining enough
to spin, consuming the youth ... amp my frenzy
When I taught my man playing away on his drum
Something clicked in my brain and I became less dumb
I'm working for bread crumbs
Pretending there's a meaning
But my employment is just a bucket, I'm desperately beating
And one day, I'll be old and retired
Looking at my life like what a waste of good fire
All because school never taught me how to be inspired
And the job concerned with finding myself just wouldn't hire
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
Make Money and die that's the American Way
But hey, here's my application, how much do y'all pay
The song "How Much Do You Pay?" by Eyedea is a commentary on the American work culture, where people are defined by the jobs they hold and the amount of money they make. The song tells the story of a man who used to be a lawyer but decides to leave his job to play music on the streets for change. The singer, the singer, is intrigued by the man's decision and asks him why he gave up his career. The man responds by saying that he just took off the name tag and adds that making money and dying is the American way.
The lyrics show that the American work culture is not only hierarchical but also materialistic. People are valued based on how much they earn and what job they hold. The man playing the bucket on the streets is seen as someone without a future, a dropout, and a misfit. But in reality, he is living his life without societal pressures and external expectations. He is content with what he has and what he does.
The song challenges the listener to question their own identity and the role of work in their lives. It urges individuals to seek inspiration, be creative, and find a purpose beyond earning a paycheck. It suggests that it is important to break away from the societal norms and expectations, and find one's true passion and meaning in life.
Line by Line Meaning
No one really understands the experience that change lives
People cannot comprehend the transformative experiences that change one's life
That pave an agnostic a place to lay in decay in toxic waste
These experiences leave a sense of hopelessness and decay for the person who has lost faith in religion or beliefs
So most every identity paraphernalia to familiarize with smiles neatly painted on a robotic face
In order to fit in, people put on masks and act in a conformist manner with artificial happiness plastered on their face
But not this man, he played the bucket with his hands
This man did not conform to the expectations of society, instead he played a bucket with his hands
And got paid but it was change people dropped in his can
Although he made money from his unique talent, it was not a substantial amount and people only gave him coins
twenty-three years ago he was a lawyer by description
This man used to work as a lawyer 23 years ago
But I've never seen the sky quite as clear as his eyes
The clarity in his eyes portrayed deep insight and wisdom
As he blistered fingers paint down on the plastic
Despite the pain, he played the bucket with all his passion and emotion
And in a twisted sort of way it all makes sense
In an unconventional manner, his way of life makes sense and has meaning
While they rush to die he provides the soundtrack so tragic
While people rush through life, he brings forth a soundtrack that reflects the tragic nature of reality
He sits on the corner of 7th and 1st
This man's usual spot to play his bucket is at the corner of 7th and 1st street
And I was thirsty for a question anyone would nurse
The artist was eager to ask this man a question, any question
One day I asked he why he gave up his career
The singer asked the man why he quit his career as a lawyer
He said, "I didn't, I just took off the name tag" then he added
The man replied that he had not given up his career, only chose to shed the societal label associated with it
Make Money and die that's the American Way
The American belief system is centered around making money and dying without considering much else
It don't matter what name you gave the bucket that you play
It doesn't matter what you do for a living, as long as you make money
So I took in what was said but I didn't accept it
The artist heard him but didn't necessarily agree
Well maybe I did I mean I just wouldn't admit it
Despite understanding the message, the singer chose not to admit it to themselves
I was too committed to the belief that all the hard work from now would improve my future existence somehow
The singer is committed to the belief that working hard now will eventually lead to a better future
So I said, you don't accomplish nothing sitting in the street
The artist tried to dismiss the man's way of life by saying that he wasn't accomplishing anything
And I'm sure you barely survive on the pennies you gather
The artist believed that the man hardly makes enough to survive on the coins he collects from playing his bucket
He said, to your surprise I make enough to eat
The man surprisingly tells the artist that he does make enough money to survive
And I accomplish just as much as you only I stop pretending my job matters
This man accomplishes just as much as anyone, but with the added benefit that he doesn't pretend his work has more meaning than it actually does
He looked me in my face and told me I was a puppet
The man tells the artist that they are a puppet to societal expectations
And what I do is no more important than playing a bucket
The societal importance placed on various jobs do not truly matter, even playing a bucket has meaning
I still hear his voice when I set my alarm before bed
The singer still reflects on the conversation with the man even when going to bed
I never could wash what he said out of my head, so fuck it, it goes
The singer could not forget the words that this man spoke and so it stuck with them
See I could dress myself up in a white coat and say I'm a doctor
The artist reflects that they could try to dress up in a certain way to fit in with society and pretend to be a doctor
Carry an eye by my buckle wear a gold badge and say I'm a copper
The artist could even go so far as to carry a gun and pretend to be a police officer
Maybe I'm just a sloppy lazy crazy carbon copy part of the heart of the deranged nation that gave me the generation ecstasy under water, I forgot survive mind wash slaughtered by Austria's offers, caught your calls and called your forefathers my bosses, lost it all in the name of gaining enough to spin, consuming the youth ... amp my frenzy
The singer reflects on the fact that they are a part of a society that has lost touch with reality and are mindlessly consuming and working towards gaining material wealth
When I taught my man playing away on his drum
The singer reflects on the time they taught the man how to play the drum
Something clicked in my brain and I became less dumb
This experience opened up the artist's mind and led them to greater understanding
I'm working for bread crumbs
The artist is working for very little reward
Pretending there's a meaning
The artist pretends that their work has a deeper meaning when it really does not
But my employment is just a bucket, I'm desperately beating
The singer realizes that their job is essentially meaningless and they are just going through the motions
And one day, I'll be old and retired
The artist reflects on their future where they will be old and retire
Looking at my life like what a waste of good fire
They anticipate a future where they look back on their life with regret and see that they have wasted their potential
All because school never taught me how to be inspired
The singer believes that the education system did not teach them how to find inspiration in life
And the job concerned with finding myself just wouldn't hire
The singer realizes that even if they wanted to find a job that would help them find themselves, it may not be possible to find such a job
Contributed by Jordyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.