Freestyle Fellowship

Freestyle Fellowship
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active
  • 1991–1993
  • 1998–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • J. Sumbi
  • M.D. Himself

Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter.[1] The group was a prominent part of the Good Life Cafe collective, and are part of the Project Blowed collective.[2]

History

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While in high school in the late 1980s, Aceyalone, Myka 9, and Self Jupiter formed the short-lived MC Aces, a precursor to Freestyle Fellowship, at the Good Life Cafe in Los Angeles, California.[3] Subsequently, former high school friend P.E.A.C.E. was added to form Freestyle Fellowship.[3]

Freestyle Fellowship released the debut studio album, To Whom It May Concern..., in 1991.[4] In 1993, the group released the second studio album, Innercity Griots.[5]

Freestyle Fellowship went on hiatus due to the incarceration of Self Jupiter.[6] In 1998, the group reunited to record the Shockadoom EP, which would be released in 2002.[7] The group released Temptations in 2001,[8] and The Promise in 2011.[9]

Style and influences

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"My Fantasy"
Trained in the art of freestyling, members of the group deliver complex, intricate rhymes atop bebop-influenced beats. The track "My Fantasy" showcases Aceyalone's rapid delivery, twisting rhymes, and stream-of-consciousness lyrics.
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According to Los Angeles Times, Freestyle Fellowship incorporates "jazz rhythms into its raps, which have the improvisational ebb and flow and the random explosiveness of a jazz solo."[10] In a 1993 interview with Los Angeles Times, the group's member Myka 9 said, "What we are is liberators, liberating rap from its R&B/funk structures--that 4/4 (time) prison."[10]

The group has been described by LA Weekly as "the astral jazz-cracked geniuses of sherm-strafed South Central, rapping with caged bird cadences about sleeping on park benches, biblical books, and gangsta rap carpetbaggers."[11]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Remix albums

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  • Version 2.0: To Whom It May Concern... Remixed by J. Sumbi (2001)

Mixtapes

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  • Power Plant (2011)

EPs

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Singles

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  • "Bullies of the Block" (1992)
  • "Hot Potato" (1993)
  • "Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This?" (1999)
  • "Sex in the City" (2001)
  • "Temptations" b/w "Ghetto Youth" (2002)

Guest appearances

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  • Nobody - "Planets Ain't Aligned" from Soulmates (2000)
  • Abstract Rude & Tribe Unique - "Heavyweights Round 4" from P.A.I.N.T. (2001)

Compilation appearances

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  • "Hot" from Project Blowed (1994)
  • "Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This? (Hive Remix)" from Defcon 4 (2000)
  • "Ummm" from We Came from Beyond (2001)
  • "Crazy" from Constant Elevation (2002)

References

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  1. ^ Serwer, Jesse (October 16, 2012). "35. De La Soul "Transmitting Live From Mars" (1989) / Freestyle Fellowship "Sunshine Men" (1991)". Complex. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  2. ^ Weiss, Jeff (December 15, 2011). "It's Your Anniversary: Underground hip-hop Project Blowed is 17". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). "Aceyalone". In Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn; Fonseca, Anthony J. (eds.). Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 2–3.
  4. ^ Steiner, B.J. (October 5, 2013). "Today In Hip-Hop: Freestyle Fellowship Releases 'To Whom It May Concern...'". XXL. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Madden, Sidney (April 28, 2015). "Today in Hip-Hop: Freestyle Fellowship Drop 'Innercity Griots'". XXL. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Weiss, Jeff (June 18, 2010). "Knowledge of self: Self Jupiter talks Freestyle Fellowship reunion, returning to school, and the West Coast underground". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. ^ Chennault, Sam (July 14, 2002). "Freestyle Fellowship: Shockadoom". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  8. ^ Haywood, Brad (February 12, 2002). "Freestyle Fellowship: Temptations". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom (July 25, 2011). "New Release: Freestyle Fellowship: The Promise". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Hunt, Dennis (June 29, 1993). "Liberating Rap With Jazz Sound : Freestyle Fellowship Adds Riffs to Rhymes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Weiss, Jeff (September 27, 2011). "Having Already Influenced Every Rapper You Like, Freestyle Fellowship Are Back". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
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