Face Candy was an American improvisational

jazz rap Jazz rap (also jazz hop or jazz hip hop) is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip-hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American ...

group by led rapper

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American rapper. He was a battle rap, freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Larsen had appeared as a ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. The group released one album, ''This Is Where We Were'', in 2006. The initial lineup on the album consisted of Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. Bates, and Casey O'Brien until Eyedea's sudden death in 2010. The group released a second album in 2011, ''Waste Age Teenland''.

History

Eyedea & Friends

Formed in 2005 as Eyedea & Friends the group originally consisted of well known freestyle battle champion and underground rapper

with drummer J.T. Bates, (also of Eyedea's rock band Carbon Carousel), bassist Casey O'Brien, and local rappers Kristoff Krane (also of Abzorber), Carnage, and Mazta I. The group started playing shows at local hip-hop oriented venues where much of the audience which showed up was expecting the music be similar to Eyedea's solo work and work as part of Eyedea & Abilities. However the Eyedea and Friends shows actually consisted entirely of extended freestyles with freely improvised instrumental backing. This led to disappointment and anger in many of the fans who in turn booed and threw objects at the group. After the first tour the group stopped performing for a while due partly to the negative reaction. However the project was revived with the new name Face Candy and found a better reaction to the music playing now that fans knew what to expect and through playing Jazz venues where the crowds were more receptive to the group's sound.

''This Is Where We Were (2005)''

''This Is Where We Were'' was recorded live in 2005 while the group was touring the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern c ...

. The album was released on November 21, 2006.

Change in lineup

Carnage and Mazta I left in 2006 reducing the group to a four-man line up they continued to perform and record new material. Eyedea died in his sleep on October 16, 2010 due to an overdose.Gottfried, Mara H. ''Twincities.com'', 19 November 2010
"St. Paul rapper Eyedea's death ruled accidental drug overdose"
/ref>

''Waste Age Teenland (2011)''

In mid 2011, it was confirmed the second album ''Waste Age Teenland'' would be released posthumously by Rhymesayers. This album was recorded in two days at the Winterland studios and one night in front of an audience at Black Dog Cafe in Saint Paul. It was released May 24, 2011, seven months after Eyedea's death.

Members

The band had several lineups.

Initial members

(deceased) – Vocals *Carnage – Vocals, Human percussion *Mazta I – Vocals

Later members

* Kristoff Krane – Vocals * J.T. Bates – Drums *Casey O'Brien – Bass

Discography

*''This Is Where We Were'' (2006) *''Waste Age Teenland'' (2011)

References

{{Authority control American hip-hop groups Jazz ensembles from Minnesota Musical groups from Saint Paul, Minnesota Rhymesayers Entertainment artists