Gregory Keltgen, better known by his stage name DJ Abilities, is an American underground hip hop producer and DJ signed to

Rhymesayers Entertainment Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis. History Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad (Sab th ...

who is based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

. He is a founding member of

Eyedea & Abilities Eyedea & Abilities (often abbreviated as E&A) was an American hip hop duo from Saint Paul, Minnesota, consisting of rapper Eyedea and DJ Abilities. The duo was founded in 1999 and became a prominent figure of the underground hip hop scene, be ...

alongside

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (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. Larsen had appear ...

, Semi.Official, and

I Self Devine Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum, Micranots, and Semi.Official. In 2012, ''City Pages'' describ ...

. DJ Abilities is a member of 1200 Hobos and was also a member of

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A ...

at one point. He has won two regional DJ championships for the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

region.

Career

DJ Abilities released '' First Born'', a debut album with the rapper

, in 2001. He handled the turntable work on El-P's 2002 solo debut album '' Fantastic Damage''. Two more collaborative albums with Eyedea, '' E&A'' (2004) and '' By the Throat'' (2009), were both released on

Eyedea & Abilities has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the

nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh. DJ Abilities won the Midwest regionals in the 1999 and 2001

DMC World DJ Championships DMC World DJ Championships is an annual DJ competition hosted by Disco Mix Club (DMC) which began in 1985. Championships were sponsored internationally by Technics, but in 2010 Technics has been replaced by Serato and Rane. From 2011, the viny ...

. ''

City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...

'' noted that he and Eyedea for their ability to interact in live on stage performances, as well as on record.

Discography

DJ mixes

* ''Finally'' (1997,

) * ''...For Persons with DJ Abilities'' (2000, Rhymesayers Entertainment) * ''Now! That's What I Call Fuck Off'' (2012, self-released) * ''The Blends'' (2014, self-released)

Productions

* Deep Puddle Dynamics - "Deep Puddle Theme Song", "Thought vs. Action" and "Where the Wild Things Are" from '' The Taste of Rain... Why Kneel?'' (1999) All E&A albums.

Guest appearances

Rusty Ps The Rusty Ps is a hip hop/rap group based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Initially known as the ''Rusty Pelicans'' after forming in 1995, its membership currently consists of Phantom Channel (MC), Count Classic (MC), S Watson (production), and Madhatt ...

- "All I Have" from ''Out of Many'' (2001) * Unknown Prophets - "The Wrong Route" from ''World Premier'' (2001) * El-P - '' Fantastic Damage'' (2002) * Mr. Lif - "Return of the B-Boy" from '' I Phantom'' (2002) * One Be Lo - ''L.A.B.O.R.'' (2011) *

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP '' Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single "T ...

- "Go!" from '' R.A.P. Music'' (2012) * Seez Mics - "Post Pathic Profiteers" from ''Cruel Fuel'' (2014) * One Be Lo - Baby (Being a black youth) (2020)

References

External links

*
DJ Abilities
on

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abilities American hip hop DJs Rhymesayers Entertainment artists Living people Midwest hip hop musicians American hip hop record producers 1979 births