Abstract Mindstate

Biography

Abstract Mindstate is a Chicago-based hip-hop duo consisting of Greg "Olskool Ice-Gre" Lewis (from the South Side) and Daphne "E.P. Da Hellcat / The White Lotis" Mitchell (from the West Side). The two met in 1990 as freshmen at Jackson State University in Mississippi, bonding on a train ride home for Christmas break over freestyle sessions and cheap gin — a meeting that planted the seeds of what would become, historically, the first rap group to pair a South Side and West Side Chicago artist. They officially formed in 1993, spending roughly 18 months honing their craft before going public, and released their debut EP The Last Demo in 1999, earning "WGCI Home Jam Artist of the Year" honors and early support from Chicago radio.

Their 2001 full-length debut We Paid Let Us In! featured production from a then-unknown Kanye West alongside Gensu Dean and The Twilite Tone, placing the duo at the epicenter of Chicago's nascent conscious rap underground. A follow-up album, Still Paying, was fully recorded with appearances from Common, John Legend, David Banner, and Kanye West, but a label absconded with the marketing funds before release — a pivotal setback that eventually pushed the duo into hiatus after a pair of mixtapes in 2005 and 2008. During the dormant years, E.P. left music entirely to work as a behavioral analyst, while Ice-Gre became Kanye's first A&R at GOOD Music, working closely during the famed 2018 Wyoming Sessions that produced Ye, Kids See Ghosts, Nasir, KTSE, and Daytona.

The reunion came when Kanye, experiencing writer's block, was sent a link to an old Abstract Mindstate tape and called the next morning requesting they become the flagship act for his new YZY SND imprint — with him producing the entire album. Dreams Still Inspire (2021) was the result: a 14-track boom-bap and soul record, the first and only release on YZY SND, that earned Album of the Year honors from several outlets and introduced the duo to a new generation. Ice-Gre coined the genre descriptor "Adult Contemporary Hip Hop" (ACH) to define their aesthetic — boom bap, soul, and storytelling without age markers — and successfully lobbied for it to become an award category at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. They have since released The Art Project (2025, produced by Young RJ) and completed a 2024 European tour alongside their Slum Village family, cementing a legacy built on perseverance across three decades.

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Fun Facts

• The duo first bonded on a train from Jackson State University to Chicago for Christmas break, where Ice-Gre began freestyling after sharing cheap gin ('bumpy face gin') with E.P.'s crew — she impressed the whole train car with an improvised response verse.
• Their 2001 debut featured Kanye West production three full years before The College Dropout made him a household name — Ice-Gre purchased beats from Kanye when he was still a largely unknown Chicago producer.
• Ice-Gre coined the genre term 'Adult Contemporary Hip Hop' (ACH) and successfully lobbied for it to become an official award category at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards — the inaugural ACH award went to Roc Marciano and The Alchemist.
• E.P. had completely left music and was working as a behavioral analyst when the reunion happened; she initially thought Kanye's call about signing them to YZY SND was a joke.
• Olskool Ice-Gre published an autobiography titled I Refuse To Quit! The Autobiography of A Dreamer, and a full documentary about the duo — We Paid Let Us In! The Legend of Abstract Mindstate — was released on the Roku Channel in 2025.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• De La Soul - Cited by the duo as a foundational influence on their lyrical and artistic approach, particularly their double-entendre wordplay and conscious aesthetics
• EPMD - Ice-Gre has described the duo's back-and-forth rhyme dynamic as 'EPMD-ish,' citing the legendary duo as a direct stylistic template
• Poor Righteous Teachers - Cited as a key influence on Abstract Mindstate's conscious, Five Percenter-adjacent lyrical content

Key Collaborators

• Kanye West - Produced tracks on their 2001 debut and produced their entire 2021 comeback album Dreams Still Inspire; Ice-Gre served as Kanye's first A&R at GOOD Music and was present for the Wyoming Sessions [2001–2021]
• Common - Part of the same early Chicago conscious rap scene; appeared on the shelved Still Paying album (2005) and has spoken to their impact publicly
• Slum Village - Described as a 'sibling' group; Abstract Mindstate joined the Slum Village family and toured Europe together in 2024 on the Front 2 Back Tour [2020s]
• The Twilite Tone - Chicago producer who contributed to their 2001 debut We Paid Let Us In!
• Gensu Dean - Producer on their 2001 debut We Paid Let Us In!

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz