Eyedea & Abilities – First Born: 20th Anniversary Edition 3LP Rhymesayers Entertainment

The release of their debut album, First Born, revealed their talents to be much more versatile and expansive than previously expected. The boastful arrogance and punchlines that had become synonymous with battling were notably scarce on the album. Eyedea chose to tackle subjects that were more conceptual and philosophical in nature, focusing on matters of reality and altered states of perception while pushing his urgent, dense delivery into darker, more abstract terrain. Meanwhile, DJ Abilities was able to craft worlds of depth and emotion, pairing hauntingly suspenseful beats with meticulous turntablism. The resulting album was rich in ambition, ideas and humanity. First Born came at the forefront of an exciting new era of underground hip-hop, delivering messages that emphasized questions over answers, ambiguity over certainty, and self-expression over exploitation, to an audience that was eager to expand their horizons beyond the commercial programming and clichés of the time. In honor of it’s 20th anniversary, we’ve repackaged and re-produced the long out-of-print vinyl LP and CD with some exciting new features. This limited vinyl packaging includes 2-color galaxy effect 2xLP vinyl, with a bonus 12″ pressed on ultra-clear laser-etched and UV printed vinyl featuring four bonus tracks: “Pushing Buttons”, “Architect’s Theme”, “Before & After” (feat Blueprint), and “Before & After” (instrumental), as well as printed record sleeves featuring images of some of Eyedea’s original handwritten lyrics! The CD packaging includes a custom die-cut slipcase and a 6-panel wallet that also features images of some of Eyedea’s original handwritten lyrics.