RIP Eyedea ~ rockthedub

While there's been no official cause of death noted, myself and many Internets were sad to hear that the one like Eyedea has passed away. His mother posted on the Eyedea & Abilities Facebook page confirming the word, and this is kind of crazy. Eyedea was lyrically gifted, with his name rising in the battle ranks in the late '90s and early '00s, including a win at the Blaze Battle, which I remember dubbing on VHS and watching him dismantle niggas constantly. I actually got put onto Eyedea through his affiliations with the Rhymesayers, alongside the random anticon compilations a decade ago, and to see his profile rise, primarily through his releases with Abilities, has been quite amazing, and while my sound drifted in the years since I first discovered him, I always checked for his shit when I got wind of it. Hit the jump for some video of Eyedea at work, including a few of the Blaze Battle clips, which is some legendary shit IMO.

EDIT Peep the Memorial Facebook page his mother set up (via Gimme Noise). The homey Weiss has a dope eulogy over on PotW.

Bonus Beats Copywrite "Numb (Dedication To Eyedea)" [via @COPYWRITE]

Eyedea & Slug on The Wake Up Show