Well, now you’ve done it. You’ve gone and pissed Open Mike Eagle off. And in a mere three minutes and seven seconds, he’s scorched every last feeble rapper on “Middling,” a track off his new Sir Rockabye EP (yep). This feels like some serious catharsis, the most aggressive/clever of diss tracks. Not even the diss-ees … Continue reading Open Mike Eagle: Middling (and July 11 show at Crescent Ballroom)
Three of Los Angeles’ finest emcees at the forefront of the avant-rap scene – or whatever you wanna call it – are joining up for a fall tour that will stop at Rhythm Room on Oct. 24 (though at this point I’m not sure who is promoting it, so I have little in the way … Continue reading Incoming: Busdriver, Nocando and Open Mike Eagle, Oct. 24
In an interview I posted with Open Mike Eagle last month, the L.A.-based art-rap auteur opened up about his new album, 4NML HSPTL, due out June 26 on Fake Four: “It’s the place where rappers, or any artists, go when they try to know too much. It’s a place you end up at. I decided … Continue reading Open Mike Eagle: Universe Man (feat. Serengeti)
Like listening to his albums, conversations with Open Mike Eagle tend to be enlightening, thought-provoking and pretty damn hilarious. The L.A.-based emcee is due for a big year: After headlining our Friday bonanza at Hidden House as part of the Desert Viper tour with Has-Lo, he’ll head to Uganda for three weeks on a hip-hop … Continue reading Q&A: Open Mike Eagle talks hip-hop in Uganda, 4NMLHSPTL and the misery of the letter C
I’m far from a professional show promoter – and the Valley is in very capable hands anyway – but a perk of writing this blog (inching ever closer to its seven-year anniversary in July) is getting to know some of the artists I admire – and, once a year or so, putting together a night … Continue reading Announcing: Open Mike Eagle, Has-Lo, MegaRan, April 27 at Hidden House
There are few rappers I’d rather have represent hip-hop on a global level than Open Mike Eagle, whose thoughtful, self-aware style has become a mainstay in my rotation since hearing his 2010 full-length debut. The art-rap diplomat and his fellow Los Angelean Ras G, of Brainfeeder fame, have a chance to travel to Uganda to … Continue reading Help Open Mike Eagle and Ras G teach hip-hop to Ugandan youth
It was a collaboration that was likely bound to happen, but if bringing Philly’s Zilla Rocca and Los Angeles’ Open Mike Eagle together for a show I put on last February in Phoenix helped hasten the process, then I’m proud to have played some (very) small part in the birth of this jam. “Full Spectrum … Continue reading Zilla Rocca: Full Spectrum 2 (feat. Has-Lo and Open Mike Eagle)
The second installment of 110 Percent, a series in which I talk to musicians about sports, features Open Mike Eagle, whose newest album, Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes, is one of the year’s must-haves. Born and raised in Chicago (and now based in L.A.), Open Mike Eagle took time to talk about his love … Continue reading 110 Percent: Open Mike Eagle talks Bulls, Bears and an intense hatred of LeBron
Busdriver, the resident braniac of experimental rap, wrote a tweet the other day that gave me pause: “It’s boggling how much effort goes into any given song that ultimately gets converted into a violently disposable MP3.” It’s a pretty straightforward sentiment that speaks to our habits as digital consumers and asks the non-musicians among us … Continue reading Nocando and Busdriver are Flash Bang Grenada: In a Perfect World (feat. Open Mike Eagle)
Open Mike Eagle’s new album, Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes, came out two weeks ago, an LP that falls in the must-hear – and must-have – category (I want that album cover in vinyl size – or larger). The album’s first track, The Processional, gives the uninitiated a pretty good idea of what Mike … Continue reading Open Mike Eagle: The Processional, live on Knocksteady