While outside the scope of this blog, it would be an oversight not to express condolences for the unexpected passing of Michael Larsen, better known as Eyedea, of Rhymesayers Entertainment. He was a five-tool emcee, internationally known for his legendary freestyle battles, ferocious intellectualism, and incomparable story telling. He represented all the things in hip hop that the public rarely sees. Artistry for its own sake, commitment to craft, social consciousness, and a self-aware identity. Not the best, not the first, but an indispensable contributor of culture simply too young to die.