Hip hop is a musical form that is saddled with stereotypes. Jewelry, oversized clothing and Timberland boots are as identifiable with the genre as the clever wordplay and densely layered hooks and beats that define the music. If said lyrics and beats define the sound, then said stereotypes most certainly define the image, and in the world of hip hop the two are almost inseparable.

So what do you get when you strip down the music to its essentials and do away with the gloss and glamour that have come to identify the genre? In an era where hip hop is dominated by formula and style, most artists would find themselves in hot water if they had to get by solely on artistic merit. Fortunately for Eyedea and Abilities, that's all the duo has ever needed to get ahead.

In the three years since their Rhymesayers debut First Born hit stores in 2001, Eyedea (Mike Averill, vocals) and Abilities (Max Keltgen, DJ/producer) have emerged as a thinking man's hip hop duo, where the two use personal introspection, unfiltered emotion and sharp wit to produce passionately vivid songs of pain, anger, frustration, and alienation. The result is some of the most honest music to come from the hip hop community in years.

"Any true artist I think has some degree of self-torture," Averill said of the duo's aggressive leanings. "You get bored and you find that you need to push yourself. For me, the days when I'm bored or frustrated are the days that I spend hours in the studio writing and recording. I've always kind of used malaise and boredom as creative tools."

Averill and Keltgen both grew up in Minneapolis and came together through mutual friends and a love of music, particularly early hip hop. Averill's keen sense for lyrical improvisation and freestyling proved to be a potent combination with Keltgen's adept ear for production. It wasn't long before the two were taken under the wing of like minded Minneapolis rappers Atmosphere, who helped E & A ink a deal with the local imprint Rhymesayers. Soon after the release of First Born, the duo signed a distribution deal with Epitaph Records, home to such indie heroes as Bad Religion and Rancid. While the duo stands out like a sore thumb among many of the other acts on the label, Averill says that he never worried much about fitting in with the crowd.

"I don't care about labels or any of that," he said. "To me that's just part of the business aspect of it all. I'm not much of a punk enthusiast. I love The Dead Kennedys, though. I'd buy anything they put out. But I grew up a bastard child of early '90s alternative rock and hip hop. That's the music that's always driven me."

The duo is currently touring in support of its recently released second album, the aptly titled E & A, and is set to drop in on The Rave Monday. Averill said he's not sure what audiences should expect, but he said anything goes but a set list.

"We just go with whatever clicks," he said. "It's different every time we go out on that stage. Right now it's a lot more natural, whereas before it was a science. At this point I'm not concerned about making music a career. To me it's about making great art. I just wanna do it."

Eyedea and Abilities perform at 8 p.m. Monday at The Rave, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave. More information is available at www.therave.com.