Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It consists of

Aceyalone Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is ...

Myka 9 Michael Lafayette Troy (born January 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Myka 9, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku d'Etat and Magic Heart Genies. Known for years as Mikah Nine, he chang ...

, P.E.A.C.E., and

Self Jupiter Ornette Glenn (born March 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Self Jupiter, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship alongside Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Aceyalone. He is also one half of The ...

. The group was a prominent part of the

Good Life Cafe The Good Life Cafe was a health food market and cafe in Los Angeles, California, known for its open mic nights that helped the 1990s Los Angeles alternative hip hop movement flourish. In 2008, director Ava DuVernay, who had performed at the cafe w ...

collective, and are part of the

Project Blowed Project Blowed is an open-mic workshop, its affiliated underground hip hop crew and record label based in Los Angeles, California at 3333 Leimert. This hip hop function started in 1994 and features many music groups, emcees, dancers, music p ...

collective.

History

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

in Los Angeles, California. Subsequently, former high school friend P.E.A.C.E. was added to form Freestyle Fellowship. Freestyle Fellowship released the debut studio album, '' To Whom It May Concern...'', in 1991. In 1993, the group released the second studio album, ''

Innercity Griots ''Innercity Griots'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. It was released on April 28, 1993 on 4th & B'way Records and distributed through Island Records. Critical reception Nathan Bush of AllMusic gave the ...

''. Freestyle Fellowship went on hiatus due to the incarceration of Self Jupiter. In 1998, the group reunited to record the ''

Shockadoom ''Shockadoom'' is a 2002 EP by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. Production After releasing ''Innercity Griots'' in 1993, Freestyle Fellowship went on hiatus due to the incarceration of Self Jupiter. In 1998, the group reunited and reco ...

'' EP, which would be released in 2002. The group released ''

Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

'' in 2001, and '' The Promise'' in 2011.

Style and influences

According to ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', Freestyle Fellowship incorporates "jazz rhythms into its raps, which have the improvisational ebb and flow and the random explosiveness of a jazz solo." 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." The group has been described by ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' 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."

Discography

Studio albums

* '' To Whom It May Concern...'' (1991) * ''

'' (1993) * ''

'' (2001) * '' The Promise'' (2011)

Remix albums

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

Mixtapes

* ''Power Plant'' (2011)

EPs

* ''

'' (2002)

Singles

* "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

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters * Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...

- "Planets Ain't Aligned" from ''Soulmates'' (2000) *

Abstract Rude Aaron Pointer, better known by his stage name Abstract Rude, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is the MC of Abstract Tribe Unique, alongside dancers Zulu Butterfly and Irie Lion King, turntablist DJ Drez and producer Fat Jack. He ...

& Tribe Unique - "Heavyweights Round 4" from ''P.A.I.N.T.'' (2001)

Compilation appearances

* "Hot" from ''

'' (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

External links

* * {{Authority control Hip hop groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Five percenters Project Blowed