Abstract Mindstate

Ask E.P Da Hellcat and Olskool Ice-Gre what got their duo Abstract Mindstate back together 16 years after they split—after a vertigo-inducing burst of success that ended in frustration, after creating a masterpiece album only to see it shelved, after falling out of touch and finding success in other fields—and they will tell you two words: Kanye West. “Who’s Abstract Mindstate?” was what a lot of rap fans were wondering after Kanye included their name on the proposed roster in the tweet he used to announce YZY SND a few weeks later. The answer: the greatest rap duo you’ve never heard of. Formed in Mississippi at the turn of the millennium, when Olskool (from Chicago’s South Side) and E.P (a West Sider) met at Jackson State University, the duo returned home in time to join a blossoming conscious rap scene that included Common and Kanye, who started making beats for them on their 2001 debut LP We Paid Let Us In!. With their hyper-lyrical style, compellingly confrontational attitude, and rare male-female-rap-duo lineup, they were poised for a breakthrough with their flawless sophomore LP, Still Paying (featuring two Kanye beats), but fate and the shady side of the music business conspired to keep it from being released. It’s 2021 and Abstract Mindstate is back stronger than ever. Culled from 25 songs recorded over three years, 'Dreams Still Inspire' is the album the pair were born to make. This is conscious rap on a new level of consciousness.