EASE DOWN THE ROAD

Roleo and EDS have not signed with Def Jam, Def Jux or even the pseudo-invigorated Rawkus Records. They’re not trying out for “American Idol” or even P. Diddy’s show, if he still has one.

Roleo isn’t painting EDS’ garage or helping him write an essay for a grad school application. And no, EDS isn’t schooling Roleo’s son on the fine art of album liner notes, though I’m sure he’d jump if the interest presented itself.

None of these things are happening. Roleo and EDS – the Fort Wayne-based hip-hop duo responsible for five studio releases and three full-length mixtapes in less than three years – haven’t released anything since their Rookies of the Year LP in January of 2006. In Roleo and EDS years, that’s an eternity, given their busy track record.

And no, before you ask, they’re not working on a new Roleo and EDS project, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t as strong as ever. In fact, both have been working hard on new music projects that, frankly, promise to be their best work yet. But here’s the rub: they’re working separately. Side projects. They’re working with (gasp) other people.

Well, kinda.

Before we get into their latest and the greatest, a proper account of the old school-minded duo’s history is long overdue. But don’t worry, we’ll get to said “latest, greatest” before we’re done.

Eric “EDS” Stine, an accomplished graphic and fine artist, recalls meeting Javar “Roleo” Hamilton in 2003 while they were both working in Sweetwater Sound’s warehouse. Hamilton, though, insists that they met years before that, “at a hip-hop show at The Loft through a mutual friend.”

That friend? Who other than Levon “Rhymewise37″ Williams of Fort Wayne’s Sub-Surface. “From my understanding, they decided to start working on music together when they were both employed at Sweetwater,” said Williams. “But they pretty much kept their existence as a group a secret until they finished up [their first release], the Hurtin’ Feelings EP.”

“We had always talked about letting each other hear the other’s music. Then we found out that we were both close friends with Rhymewise,” recalls EDS, the production half of Team RE. “[Along with that], we felt like we had a connection through music, so we just started meeting up on the weekends, and he ended up recording on some beats I’d done.”

Hitting the ground running suited Roleo and EDS, two artists both known for their tireless work ethics and collective artistic drive. By the end of their first year they’d not only released their first full-length CD, The Nerve Calmer, but also an EDS instrumental CD, Outbreak. Less than a year later they released Labrats, an 11-track disc that showed a great amount of artistic growth and proved that the two were capable of bigger, better things. Roleo arrived as a full blown character, armed with endless punch lines, confidence and a still-developing cadence. EDS, too, had advanced his craft, supplying an eclectic range of clean, sample-based beats that hinted at a singular vision unparalleled by anyone else in the area.

“After each release it was pretty much an unspoken understanding that we both needed to step up what we were doing for the next release,” said EDS. “Growth is definitely important for a creative individual, be it music, visual, writing, dance, architecture or whatever. You don’t want to get into a pattern of always doing the same thing because it was successful at some point in that past. That’s how you lose your edge.”

Months later, in July of 2005, came yet another release, The Pre-Season Mixtape, a preview of the aforementioned Rookies of the Year album. A month after that EDS released his second solo instrumental album, Dr. Badvibes & The Muddy River Misfits, a release that announced him as creative force, not just in the region, but in general. For beatheads it was the equivalent of an artistic earthquake. Badvibes‘ thick, sophisticated production hardly sounded like something recorded in a bedroom by a self-taught vinyl enthusiast. It sounded like a life project. A long-realized work of a hip-hop historian with an innovator’s tireless spirit. It was the kind of release that made Fort Wayne’s entire hip-hop scene work harder, including Roleo.

“Roleo and EDS’ strength is that they are both extremely diligent in getting things done,” said Rhymewise, who has often collaborated with the duo. “Roly writes like crazy and it takes someone who is equally dedicated to their craft – in this case EDS and his production – to balance out the group dynamic.”

By the end of 2005 Roleo and EDS were as busy as ever, performing live regularly while building up to Rookies of the Year. “Ever since I met E at Sweetwater one day / We’ve been the most productive group in Fort Wayne,” quips Roleo on Rookies‘ opening track, “That’s Hip-Hop.” The album celebrated hip-hop history and Fort Wayne’s own reemerging scene equally with its modern-meets-throwback sound, but with EDS’ usual knack for surprising sample selections and compositional ideas. Roleo’s presence was as solid as ever, and the scene in turn reacted strongly.

Building off of the momentum of Rookies, Roleo and EDS entered 2006’s whatzup Battle of the Bands III at Columbia Street West. “The battle was a great experience,” said Roleo looking back. “It was very good exposure for the group.” Roleo and EDS fared very well in the competition, passing through the first two rounds, earning consistently high judge and crowd scores along the way and becoming known as the act that had the most crowd members singing along, a testament to Roleo’s clean, relatable, memorable writing.

The time since has seen Stine and Hamilton falling out of the spotlight, seemingly inactive to everyday Fort Wayne scenesters.

Enter the topic at hand: side projects.

EDS has been busy working on production for a yet untitled album with Berremas A. Wimes (aka Sub-Surface emcee Scripture), while Roleo recently completed a full-length album, The Love Is Back, produced entirely by local hip-hop legend Illastrate (Chains Of Chaos), who now lives in Atlanta, where he has continued to flourish as a producer.

“Eric has been really focused on graphic design and art this past year, and Script works a lot and is dedicated to his family, so this IgnorEnt Logic project is a chance for both of them to unwind and just be themselves,” says local promoter Julie Morrison, who also works with Stine and photographer Daniel Dienelt on Expired Magazine, an online publication dealing with Fort Wayne’s underground culture. “They both listen to a lot of hard rock and metal; Eric listens to a lot of Rage Against the Machine and, of course, Script has his obsession with Metallica. The music really makes you want to jump around. Halfway through their first performance at Fort Wayne Hip-Hop Dance a mosh pit broke out, and I think that’s exactly what they want at their shows,” added Morrison, who has been around to witness a good portion of Stine and Wimes’ recording sessions.

“So far we have 12 songs, but we’re really trying to take our time with it; we don’t want to shortchange ourselves,” said Wimes about his recent work with EDS. “This project with EDS really allows me to express myself; EDS’ beliefs are more in line with my ideologies. [Our album] will really appeal to anyone interested in creative music … and anyone who wants to hear tight beats and lyrics with a somewhat twisted point of view,” said the notoriously eccentric, hugely talented emcee.

EDS, who recently relocated to Indianapolis during the working week for a new job, sees the side projects as a chance for he and Roleo to once again further their artistic growth.

“We both value the other’s opinion and creative input, so we always let each other hear anything new we’ve recorded. We’re both each other’s biggest supporter,” he said. “Plus, I did the majority of the [vocal] recording for [Roleo’s solo debut] The Love Is Back, so I’ve been able to hear the whole progression of that project.”

“Working separately is just another part of our growth,” agreed Roleo. “I get Eric’s opinion on everything I do; he’s always looking for a way to make things better.” The Love Is Back comes off as a sociological experiment of sorts, working as both a homage to the rapper/producer format of the late 80s, as well as an often smarmy critique of sorts on the state of current mainstream hip-hop culture. Through irony and wit Roleo has crafted together his most lucid set of rhymes yet, ranging from very personal to strictly observatory, and always walking the line between insightful and playfully witty. Illastrate’s beats are both modern and timeless, adding even more depth to this recording that, if properly promoted, should no doubt make Roleo and Illastrate household names amongst regional hip-hop fans.

So yes, The Love Is Back is that good, and EDS, whose in-progress album with Scripture is much less traditional (read: very good, but not for everyone), agrees, calling it “the best album I’ve heard out of the region in a long time.”

“With this album [Illa and I] tried to embody an old-school hip-hop sound,” said Roleo. “But at the same time we wanted to make songs that could appeal to everyone. Illa is a great producer, and working with him allowed me to tap into a style and sound different from the Roleo and EDS stuff.”

But don’t worry; Roleo and EDS’ strength remains despite fruitful side projects and recent lifestyle changes.

“Helping out with Roleo’s recording has helped me get an ever better insight into his approach, style and musical preferences, which in turn helps out collective cohesion,” assured EDS. “We both want to put out another Roleo and EDS album sooner than later, and I think it’s pretty much understood that we will start on another one once we both finish up what we’re working on now. And we both want to blow Rookies out of the water … but after hearing Roleo’s work with Illa, I really have my work cut out for me.”

“We’ve already kicked around ideas for our next group record,” echoes Roleo. “I already have a concept in mind.”

By pushing themselves to leave their comfort zones and explore new territory, Roleo and EDS are stronger than ever. Two literate, creative, hardworking artists with a mutual appreciation for each other’s craft and passion, Roleo and EDS are, in many ways, on the cusp of their artistic golden days. Call it what it is: a prime model for both a working and a friendly relationship; good luck finding a more balanced model of creative progression in hip-hop right now.