Their commercially successful sophomore album E&A (released 2004) became a staple of the Twin Cities hip hop community, although following hectic touring the release of Eyedea & Abilities next album By The Throat would take several years, with Eyedea and DJ Abilities touring separately.
After a productive hiatus they returned with the critically acclaimed By The Throat (released 2009). Sonically divergent from their earlier work, By The Throat would showcase the their individual development along with the talents of Jeremy Ylvisaker, J.T. Bates & Graham O'Brien.
Eyedea (Born Micheal Larsen on November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010) who also performed under the name Oliver Hart became widely known because of his battle and freestyle skills. The Many Faces of Oliver Hart prominently features the obliterating lyrical speed of a young Carnage the Executioner aka Terrell Woods along with Slug (of Atmosphere). Eyedea was best known for his victory at the Blaze Battle, which was aired on HBO, showing some of the best underground battlers in action. Eyedea largely toured with Slug aka Sean Daley during his early career, and would continue to collaborate with his mentor.
Numerous posthumous releases regularly appear since his passing, including Face Candy Waste-Age Teen Land and Eyenine Afraid to Dream on Crushkill Recordings, along with dedications from Kristoff Krane aka Christoffer Keller, Sadistik aka Cody Foster, No Bird Sing, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Carnage XXXL, Murs among others. His mother Kathy Averill maintains an official dedication site www.micheallarsen.com.
DJ Abilities aka Maxx Keltgen is known for winning three DMC awards and for his work on his mixtapes and 1200 Hobos. He continues to tour, and is currently signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.
One Twenty
Eyedea & Abilities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(It's-it's-it's it's-it's it's-it's it's about time)
Yo DJ Abilities what you gonna do?
(B-b-b-bout to rock)
Add me to mix, you get E&A crew
And we (Blow up the spot)
Why don't you go ahead and give a taste of what you got
(Verse 1)
Man you killing it, I'm feeling it, you feeling it?
We drill 'em with the cerebellum-swelling-sonics
Surfing over snare snaps
Psycho with syllables and same boy scratch
My DJ is with me and we ready to get busy
(Let's start it like this!)
Eyedea and Abilities we coming through to represent
The rhyming never kid and never hesitant
To give you something better than the previous
Though people think graffiti writers
DJs and the hungry rappers, we're the type that
Once we crack the media and then we co-exist
Immediately everyone is socialist conformed
We come to mediate we burn the stake down
Hope you get the message we're to cold to
F**k with featherweights, in medial clemently states
We smoke 'em in a demonstration so
We'd like to thank you for checking out the show
And if you don't know by now you never know
Some are amateurs but we be pro's
Abilities show 'em what I mean bro
(samp-samp-samp-sample some action!)
(Go 'head!)
(Yeah!)
(Hook)
And do we got the skills on the turntables and the mic?
(Yeah!)
Is the people really feeling hype?
(No question!)
Them and us is all we needed right?
(Yeah!)
Then we're going to rock the spot tonight!
(No doubt!)
(Verse 2)
Back to the lesson of rap in its essence
The masters who wreck and we nasty no question
You asked for the best and this crack in we stepped in
And the fact is we black-listin' wackness
The two of us can do what's comfortable for you and your clique
Fasten your seatbelt cause we're going on
A trip to party people, purgatory, end of story
Never slowing in motion
I'm blowing a hole in the border of where there an opponent is
(Oh yeah!)
This is how we play to keep it alive
Put the grooves, them hands in music or how else would you survive?
Fight, give it a like, you win the right, do it tonight
You put an MC, a DJ, and Hip-Hop at the center
(It's a sample of victory here)
(Hook)
And do we got the skills on the turntables and the mic?
(Yeah!)
Is the people really feeling hype?
(No question!)
Them and us is all we needed right?
(Yeah!)
Then we're going to rock the spot tonight!
(No doubt!)
Done!
(Attention to all you punk motherf**kers out there)
If you want incredibly fast relief from the pain of
(The wack, wack)
Try (E-A)
That contains not just one but a combination of
(All types of funk) (Hot shit)
That give effective relief
(True) (Yeah)
If you've not been introduced to (E-A)
By your own physician or dentist
(You're slipping)
(You know what I'm saying?)
I'll repeat the name for you
(E-A, E-A)
(You punk motherf**kers!)
The song "One Twenty" by Eyedea & Abilities is a fast-paced rap song that focuses on rhyming, rhythm, and the DJ's skills. The song opens with a call and response with the DJ, Abilities. The lyrics emphasize the duo's talent and ability to entertain audiences with their music. They start with a line, "Man, you killing it, I'm feeling it, you feeling it?" to show their admiration for their co-performer's skills.
The first verse emphasizes their intent to represent hip hop culture and the essence of rap. They shed light on how media tend to focus only on specific parts of hip hop culture, such as graffiti writers or hungry rappers. But, they think that they're different since they're above that, and their talent must be recognized. They blend their rhymes with scratching sound effects and emphasize their skills with the turntables and microphone. They conclude the verse by thanking the audience for witnessing their demonstration.
In the second verse, the duo explains how their music is a combination of different music types, funk, and hot shit. They assert their dominance in the rap game and challenge their competitors to go against them. The lyrics allude to the feeling of pain relief when experiencing their music by using medical terminology as metaphors.
Overall, the lyrics of One Twenty express confidence, talent, and the duo's readiness to entertain their audience with their skills.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo DJ Abilities what you gonna do?
Eyedea is asking DJ Abilities what he is planning to do.
(B-b-b-bout to rock)
DJ Abilities is about to rock the party.
Add me to mix, you get E&A crew
By adding Eyedea to the mix, they become the E&A crew.
And we (Blow up the spot)
Together, they will make an explosive impact on the venue.
Man you killing it, I'm feeling it, you feeling it?
Eyedea is recognizing DJ Abilities' skills and asking if he feels the same.
We drill 'em with the cerebellum-swelling-sonics
Their music hits hard, impacting the listeners' brains.
Surfing over snare snaps
The rhythm of the snare drum is like a wave for them to ride on.
Psycho with syllables and same boy scratch
Their lyrics and scratches are crazy good.
My DJ is with me and we ready to get busy
DJ Abilities is ready to work with Eyedea to create great music.
(Let's start it like this!)
They are starting the show with a particular energy.
Eyedea and Abilities we coming through to represent
They are performing on behalf of themselves and their art form.
The rhyming never kid and never hesitant
Eyedea and Abilities have a serious approach to their art and never hold back.
To give you something better than the previous
They aim to improve with each performance.
Though people think graffiti writers
People tend to only think of certain aspects of hip hop culture.
DJs and the hungry rappers, we're the type that
Eyedea and Abilities represent another aspect of hip hop culture.
Once we crack the media and then we co-exist
They aim for hip hop culture to be better understood and appreciated within mainstream media.
Immediately everyone is socialist conformed
Once hip hop is embraced by mainstream media, everyone will follow suit and conform.
We come to mediate we burn the stake down
They aim to bridge the gaps between different aspects of hip hop culture and bring everyone together.
Hope you get the message we're too cold to
They are too good and too serious to be ignored or underestimated.
F**k with featherweights, in medial clemently states
They only want to work with serious artists; not frivolous ones, and they mean this both figuratively and literally.
We smoke 'em in a demonstration so
In order to show their superiority, they will give a demonstration.
We'd like to thank you for checking out the show
Eyedea and Abilities are grateful for the audience's attention and attendance.
And if you don't know by now you never know
If you haven't caught up with hip hop culture now, you never will.
Some are amateurs but we be pro's
They are professionals and there are many amateurs in the industry.
Abilities show 'em what I mean bro
DJ Abilities will show the audience what Eyedea means.
(samp-samp-samp-sample some action!)
DJ Abilities is sampling the music to create a particular effect.
(Go 'head!)
They are encouraging the crowd to keep going and keep enjoying the show.
(Yeah!)
Everyone is excited and enjoying the show.
(No question!)
It's without any doubt that the crowd is enjoying the show.
Them and us is all we needed right?
Eyedea and Abilities, with the crowd, are all that is necessary to have a great show.
(Yeah!)
Everybody agrees and is excited.
Then we're going to rock the spot tonight!
They are going to deliver a great, high-energy show for the audience.
(No doubt!)
There's no doubt that the show is going to be amazing.
Back to the lesson of rap in its essence
They are returning to the root and core of hip hop culture.
The masters who wreck and we nasty no question
They are masters at their craft and are very good at what they do.
You asked for the best and this crack in we stepped in
They are the best and have arrived to deliver a great performance.
And the fact is we black-listin' wackness
They are rejecting bad or low-quality music.
The two of us can do what's comfortable for you and your clique
It's easy for them to perform music that their audience will enjoy.
Fasten your seatbelt cause we're going on
They are about to take the audience on a wild ride of music and excitement.
A trip to party people, purgatory, end of story
The show they are about to deliver will allow the audience to be fully immersed and involved.
Never slowing in motion
The energy and momentum of the performance will never slow down.
I'm blowing a hole in the border of where there an opponent is
Eyedea is showing that he is so good that there is no competition.
(Oh yeah!)
Everyone is hyped up and fully enjoying the show.
This is how we play to keep it alive
They are showing how hip hop culture and music stay relevant and thriving.
Put the grooves, them hands in music or how else would you survive?
They are highlighting how music is such an important part of life, like a necessity to survive.
Fight, give it a like, you win the right, do it tonight
Chase your dreams, give it your all, and do it now while you still have the chance.
You put an MC, a DJ, and Hip-Hop at the center
They are showing the importance of the three key components in hip hop culture and music.
(It's a sample of victory here)
A reference to DJ Abilities' scratching skills being a victory of music creation.
(Attention to all you punk motherf**kers out there)
Addressing disrespectful and unappreciative people in real time.
If you want incredibly fast relief from the pain of
If you want to experience something truly enjoyable and immersive.
(The wack, wack)
Bad music or artists.
Try (E-A)
Listen to Eyedea and Abilities' music.
That contains not just one but a combination of
Their music is not just one element, but a highly skilled combination of different components.
(All types of funk) (Hot shit)
Their music is fun, energetic, and impressive.
That give effective relief
Listening to their music brings relief from boredom, bad moods, etc.
(True) (Yeah)
Their music is truly amazing.
If you've not been introduced to (E-A)
If someone hasn't heard of Eyedea and Abilities yet.
By your own physician or dentist
If someone hasn't heard of them yet, they should have been introduced by someone they trust or admire.
(You're slipping)
If someone isn't aware of Eyedea and Abilities, they are missing out on something great.
(You know what I'm saying?)
They are half-joking and half-serious about the importance of their music and jokes around with the audience.
I'll repeat the name for you
Eyedea still wants to make sure everyone knows their name and music.
(E-A, E-A)
Repeating the name of the band to make sure everyone hears and remembers it.
(You punk motherf**kers!)
Full on joking around and calling the audience punk motherf**kers with affection and humor.
Contributed by London L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.