Watch: 13th Floor MusicTalk with Open Mike Eagle

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Open Mike Eagle is a Los Angeles-based rapper and comedian. He comes critically acclaimed for his several solo records and is a well-known face to the West Coast comedy scene.

Early on in his music career, Eagle carved a unique path outside of hip-hop’s mainstream. In 2010, he released his debut album, Unapologetic Art Rap, framing his distinct ‘art rap’ style as an alternative to what was happening at the time. His albums have showcased his skill in blending comedy and rap with razor-sharp punch lines, smooth rhymes, and wildly imaginative, socially-conscious lyrics.

WATCH: 13th Floor MusicTalk with Open Mike Eagle

His last album in 2017, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, about the destruction of a South Chicago housing project close to where he grew up, was praised by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR.

Eagle, 39, likes to operate independently across all of his creative ventures. In 2019, he created a variety show, The New Negroes, co-hosted with comedian Baron Vaughn, which premiered on Comedy Central. It mixed stand-up from Black comics and music collaborations between Eagle and artists including MF Doom, Phonte, and Lizzo. The show aimed to represent a variety of voices inside the paradigm of black comedy.

Earlier this year, Eagle launched his own record label, Auto Reverse, and podcast network, Stony Islands Audio. Similarly, the platform highlights untold stories in the industry he finds himself in. “Alot of really accomplished hip-hop performers have not gotten their flowers that we feel they deserve,” he says.

This month marks the release of Eagle’s new album, Anime, Trauma and Divorce, and his most personal project to date. It’s an honest, confrontational, and darkly comic account of a very tough period in his life.

Following the breakdown of his marriage and a few professional setbacks, his therapist reminded him oh his musical outlet. Despite the heavy subject matter, it’s sprinkled with light moments of self-aware, self-deprecating humour.

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The album’s third track ‘Sweatpants Spiderman’ takes stock of the fact he’s turning 40 next month, and worried about his tubby “dad bod”, back pain, and finances (“Old chapter just ended / I’m looking over my spending” he contemplates, later adding: “Gotta get and apartment / Scared to look at the prices”).

While the amusing ‘Black Mirror Episode’ blames a dystopian sci-fi TV-show for ruining his marriage. The airy ‘WTF is self care’ pokes fun at society’s quick fix of high-thread count linen and kelp smoothies – “Oh, it’s like journaling and writing s**t that feels nurturing,” Eagle sniggers.

Eagle’s resonance for anime, specifically, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, is another of his “coping mechanisms” and is part of the album’s narrative. The track ‘I’m A Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)’ unpacks his attraction to the escapist power of living through fantasy characters.

For the album’s textured, and at times, frantic sound, Eagle called on help from established rap producers Black Milk, Gold Panda and Frank Leone, but was most excited to work with Irish producer Jacknife Lee who is best known for his work with U2, R.E.M, and Snow Patrol.

The 13th Floor speaks to Eagle questioning the relevance of releasing Anime, Trauma and Divorce, during the global pandemic. The album was wrapped in March before Covid-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the run up to the U.S presidential election. The string of star-studded reviews so far should help with that.

Eagle is hosting a live-streamed ‘Emotional Processing Event’ as promo for the album’s release with a full performance of the songs, and talk.

Tune in NZ Time: Saturday, October 17. 2pm-3.30pm. Register for tickets at Eventbrite.com.

Sarah Downs
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