Abstract Mindstate

Abstract Mindstate the MOD (Misfitz of Dialogue) consisted of the MCs Ice Gre and Ebony Poetess the Hellcat. The duo came together at Jackson State in Mississippi, where Gre and EP played key roles in establishing the Stewpot Stowaways, a hip-hop crew of “outcasts” drawn from the Jackson area. David Banner and Kamikaze also belonged to the Stewpot Stowaways collective; the latter would later team with Banner to create Crooked Lettaz. Kamikaze guested on We Paid Let Us In!, Abstract Mindstate’s first album issued by 404 Entertainment in 2001. Tracks such as “Equiponderance,” “Taoism,” and “The Art of Speaking” placed the group squarely within the ethos of the underground hip-hop movement. Even though We Paid appeared on an independent label, its forward-thinking production extended past the usual limits associated with that scene. Late in 2002 Ice Gre lent a track to Gravel Records’ Chicago Project: 100% Chicago Hip Hop.