Album of the Year #25: Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year #25: Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream - HipHop

Album of the Year #25: Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream - HipHop

Album of the Year #25: Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

Posted: 25 Dec 2017 12:32 PM PST

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Artist: Open Mike Eagle

Album: Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

Listen:

Youtube

Spotify

Apple Music

Album Background:

Open Mike Eagle, born in the South Side of Chicgao, 37 years old, and member of Project Blowed has become a staple in the underground hip hop scene and started making waves with his poignant and concise projects starting in 2010 with his first full length release Unapologetic Art Rap.

You may have heard of Mike outside of his music by his features in Vice videos such as Why rappers love Grey Poupon or Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time. If not those, maybe you've seen him on Eric Andre's show in Rapper Warrior Ninja. And, again, if not that then maybe you know him as a friend of famous comedian and Bill Cosby exposer Hannibal Buress.

Before becoming a rapper, Michael W. Eagle II went to Whitney M. Young High School which is a selective enrollment public school in the Near West Side of Chicago. After high school, Mike went to Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a psychology major where he met his now good friend Hannibal Buress. He graduated and moved on to do one year of grad school before moving to Los Angeles where he worked a few different jobs such as Americorps, a non-profit halfway home, and as a third and fourth grade special education teacher. At this time, he only rapped as a hobby until he found Project Blowed, where he became affiliated with now long time collaborators Busdriver, Dumbfoundead, and Pyschosiz.

Open Mike Eagle's 5th full length LP Brick Body Kids Still Daydream was released on September 15, 2017 under one of my favorite labels Mello Music Group. Mike grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago which was a series of project housings that is now demolished. They were erected in the early 1960s, and demolished over the course of nine years from 1998 to 2007. Here is a picture of the last standing building via Wikipedia. These buildings were designed to hold up to 11,000 residents, and in actuality housed up to 27,000 people at its peak. The complex was riddled with gang violence and crime throughout its entire existence.

The source of inspiration for this album is made clear by the title, the album cover, and Mike's upbringing which leads to this album being a tell all of Mike's feelings about the Robert Taylor Homes, and subsequently he touches on the problems in America in a way that is very personal to him.

Review:

Mike's style of rap is soft and inviting, like he is telling a story out of a book by your bedside. With the opening track Legendary Iron Hood, he invites you into his dream world at the Robert Taylor Homes. He sets up with references to a superhero in the X-Men with lines like "I keep my head down, pushing like I'm walking to school, yeah / I hold em tight like Infinity Gems" and "Got a brother named Charles that be on that bullshit / I protect my neck with some magical jewels." While Mike's rapping is smooth and harmless, it's exciting like he really wants you to listen to his story. His childish daydreams tells you just enough to make you interested to hear more about his life growing up, and see how he solves the problems he establishes in this first track.

Mike keeps you on your toes as one emotion that's being conveyed never lasts very long. This album in the 40 minutes run time takes you from happy and comfortable, to a dark and depressed place, and this can quickly change from track to track. One track that shows this dichotomy is Happy Wasteland Day, where Mike gives us his take on the political landscape of 2017 while never mentioning the name of the largest contributor to the current state of affairs. The beat most prominently features a looped string instrument, backed by simple drums and bass supporting it. Mike's lyricism in this track varies from on the nose to more abstract questions in simple lines. "When the king is a garbage person / I might wanna lay down and die" he repeats quite often as he wonders what he's supposed to do. He poses a problem and offers a solution to himself within two lines, "Zombie sheriffs is tryna lynch us / Guess I'll call up my congressman." Mike makes a grim joke saying that the police force are like zombies out for their next meal, and what can he do about it but call his congressman? Mike knows it's ultimately a futile act, and this sort of change is much bigger than one person.

The climax of the album can not go without mention, and that is Brick Body Complex. The rebellious and hyped up track explains the title of the album. Mike's ultimate comparison is that a black child in the hood is literally a building. That kid, because of a system designed to keep him down, has no upward mobility or anyway to move away from his current situation much like the building that he lives in. However, Mike tries to fight back this notion by saying that he is giant, he's a superhero, and and that he'll never fit their descriptions. They, in this case, being those who generalize an entire group of people because of their skin color and living situation. It's a fantastic concept that Mike fully realizes on this song with his passionate, fast, and angry rapping about this state of affairs. This song truly showcases Mike's talent as a musician, storyteller, artist, and this track is something that sets him apart from other rappers. It is a fleshed out idea, told in a personal way that makes comments on the truths of America, and delivered in a 4 minute showcase of lyrical wit and storytelling.

The final track that deserves its own paragraph also happens to be the final track of the album. My Auntie's Building is perhaps the dreariest song on the entire album, and despite the fighting back like Mike showed in Brick Body Complex, this is the beaten down side of him. "I'll fight you all, I'm willing / Just show me who's that villain / I don't see no one, I don't see no one / I can't find nobody," Mike says as he ultimately realizes this battle is one that can't be one. There is no one single person to fight as this is a systematic problem. "They say America fights fair / But they won't demolish your timeshare" are two simple bars that summarize the issue of gentrification. The beat is slow, with Mike rapping fast and he is pissed off. The album ends with him repeating "That's the sound of them tearing my body down to the ground." Mike one last time before his "death" reiterates that there is no hope or choice for him or kids like him, and that the system is too strong for one hero to beat alone.

While the above tracks are worthy of their own paragraphs the others are just as good and are certainly not wasted space. Every track on this album is just as important as the ones surrounding it, and something that should be mentioned and something that Mike is known for is his humor. Mike still manages to keep his signature wit and humor despite the foreboding message. Like on No Selling (Uncle Butch Pretends It Don't Hurt) he mentions how he had an asthma attack in the last bar, or on TLDR (Smithing) how he's been woke for so long he needs a nap. He even seems to call this out on (How Could Anybody) Feel At Home where he says he's told some goofy shit that sounds like a poem, and reading through Mike's bars there's a lot of truth to that statement. Mike often feels like he's reading to you, and his personality is full of wit and funny bars, and while this album is more serious in tone Mike does not give up what he's known for to deliver his message.

The beats on this album are also worthy of praise as Mike decided to take in ten producers over the course of twelve tracks. Exile (Legendary Iron Hood & Happy Wasteland Day) and Illingsworth (Daydreaming In The Projects & TLDR (Smithing)) both produced two tracks. Mike's lengthy list of producers each bring their own flavor to each track, and shows how Mike is unafraid of going up against some experimental or different beats. Legendary Iron Hood features a beautiful and serene piano and guitar which is completely different from No Selling which makes uses of a simple low synth and vocal samples. And both of these tracks are completely different from something like 95 Radios which is the poppiest track on the album, and has a more prominent yet simple drum beat and bells. Every track is distinct and stands on its own, but is all brought together by Mike's confidence over them. Mike knows exactly what to bring to each track to complement the beat and most importantly deliver his message and see his vision.

Something that I picked up on throughout this record is that Mike mentions some form of motion whether it is him being still or being in perpetual motion, and a reference to this can be found on almost every track on the album. In the beginning of the album he talks about moving a lot like on Legendary Iron Hood he talks about how he can't be stopped and nothing will stop him, or on (How Could Anybody) Feel At Home he "spun around in circles on the globe." But as the album progresses he is tired and in pain. The entirety of No Selling is about working too hard, and is a direct reference to "selling" in wrestling meaning that a wrestler is selling to the audience how hurt he is. In this case, Mike is "no selling" or trying to pretend like he's not hurt, but truly all of this work is tiring him out. In the later points of the album there is emphasis on standing still or being in the same place, and this goes hand in hand with Mike making the comparison of a black kid to a building. Buildings are constant. They never move, even when it rains, or in the wind, or in the snow, and they will always be right where they were intended to be. Black kids living in the hood think they will move, get out of the hood, and live better lives, but throughout this album Mike is telling us that this is just a daydream, that it will never happen and that is by design. The final track My Auntie's Building continues to hammer this point home. "And they hit that shit with a wrecking ball so hard / Thought the whole earth broke / All them people dispersed though / Federal to commercial." The people of the Robert Taylor Homes were forced out, nowhere to go, and ultimately ended up lining the pockets of the wealthy by having to live in for profit housing.

This record is a fantastic, and beautiful commentary on Mike's upbringing and the climate of 2017. This record is as much of a commentary on Trump as it is on Mike's home in Chicago, and has become one of my favorite records of the year and by far my favorite record that feels like it is a response to the election of Donald Trump. I truly loved this album, and as I continued to relisten to write this review I only fell more in love with it. Open Mike Eagle did an incredible job with this record, and I'm excited to see where he goes next, but I'd also be content if he takes his time with the next one because I'll be playing this for a long time.

Favorite Lyrics:

1.

My big dumb brain's an electrical ocean

Started walking now my legs in perpetual motion

2.

Don't call me nigga or rapper

My name is motherfucking Michael Eagle, I'm sovereign

I come from a line of ghetto superheroes

3.

Between shrooms and touring I'm sure to take a bunch of trips

And fuck that one guy who's screen name was "thunderlips"

Pelt him with a bag full of mesquite flavored Kruncher chips

4. (Bars from feature guest, Sammus)

On my Apple updating my E-Shops

Eat a apple a day, take a brief pause

Take a nap, lie awake in-between sobs

Then I rap and I pray and the grief stops

5.

The old me would drink a 40

And eat bologna, shinobi

On NBA Live, I play with Kobe

Discussion Questions:

  1. I've seen a lot of debate on whether or not this is better than Dark Comedy? Thoughts?

  2. As far as "reactions to Trump" go, how do you feel about this album compared to others who did the same?

  3. Do you find any validity in my claims about Mike's use of motion in this album?

  4. Do you think Open Mike Eagle's use of several different producers was a benefit, or would you have preferred he stuck with only a few. Would you like to see other rappers take this sort of approach?

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