NewStoPage

The death of Micheal Larsen, aka Minneapolis rapper/singer Eyedea, was announced earlier this morning via a Facebook post by his mother, Kathy Averill. He was 28. The cause of his death remains unknown as of my writing this, but Averill later wrote the following on a Facebook event page for a memorial fund-raiser in his name.

Larsen's career began blossoming in the late '90s and early 2000s thanks to a series of epic freestyle battle wins and a heavily conceptual rapping style. He took home top honors in the 1999 Scribble Jam and a year later defeated all opponents at the Rock Steady and Battle Blaze Chicago events. During those years he was also honing his writing skills, which he showcased on several underground classics with frequent collaborator DJ Abilities under the moniker Eyedea & Abilities.