Open Mike Eagle -- Anime, Trauma, and Divorce: Review

Open Mike Eagle -- Anime, Trauma, and Divorce

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Open Mike Eagle’s newest studio record Anime, Trauma, and Divorce digs deep into his psyche, tackling all the elements in the title and then some. The Chicago-born rapper has made a name for himself being a central artist in the rise of the underground hip-hop scene, writing starkly conscious and humorous lyrics that stray from the normal dialectic of the rap. Now in 2020, OME (Open Mike Eagle) is at his peak in popularity but it finds him at his lowest in spirits in over a decade.

Having ended a marriage of fourteen years with the mother of his only son, it’s no surprise that OME would be in a bumpy place emotionally. His Adult Swim show, The New Negroes with comedian Baron Vaughn, got cancelled after only one season. Along with everything else going on, Mike was set on making his next record more personal than any of his before. He's addressed how upfront and confrontational he got with his emotions on this project while also running the gambit of “[not] giving too much information about myself”.

OME tackles this challenge by compartmentalizing his distraught feelings and trauma into the characters of some of his favorite anime, whose strengths under adversity encourage him to tackle his own issues. Mike references a myriad of different anime characters and shows in ATaD (Anime, Trauma, and Divorce) and picks two main characters through which processes most of his emotions: Shinji Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Joestar Family in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

The former of the two, OME uses to process his deep ingrained trauma, especially on “Headass (Idiot Shinji)” where he confronts his shortcomings and wears them on his sleeve. Mike said this about “Headass” on Twitter: “I spent all last year trying to figure out how to write Headass. it took me 3 tries. it didnt work until I had this beat from @black_milk. my life got easier once I realized that I am a headass.” The grueling hours of labor can be heard in this song’s rich instrumentation and writing.

“I’m a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)” is a euphoric uplifting anthem where Mike puts away with the similes and literary devices and just puts himself straight into the anime canon. This song comes near the end of the album and feels like a satisfying contrast to the confused feelings in the rest of the album, as OME gases himself up and celebrates his strength and blackness.

ATaD features some kickass instrumentals, filled with rich jazz and pop vibes that have always existed in Mike's music but really shine in their healing nature on this record. The chilly opener “Death Parade” (prod. by Caleb Stone) features this chameleonic synth that morphs and fills the space between Mike’s lines and the minimal drums. “Airplane Boneyard” plays over this lo-fi psych rock sample and colorful shuffling percussion.

My favorite beat on the record is definitely on “Bucciarati (feat Kari Faux)”, not because of its rich layers like some of the other tracks here, but for its minimalism. This quiet whirring bass organ lays as the canvas for Mike’s most robust lyrics on the whole album. He likens his distraught disorganized emotions to a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure character who can create zippers on people's bodies. Kari Faux’s infectiously catchy chorus of “Sorry to call you in, I needed a helping hand. Broken the zip again, broken the zip again” is just so damn good and makes it my favorite track on ATaD.

OME’s signature wit is still here in spades like on “Sweatpants Spiderman” where he comically confronts his aging: “Taking down what I put up, knee hurt when I stood up. Instagram for my joggers, got a dad bod like my father.” A favorite of mine is “Wtf is Self Care” where OME rattles off a list of different techniques from journaling to fine wood shelves to cup massages, asking himself “What the fuck is self care?” The cute goofy quirks of Mike’s lyrics like in this song remind me how relatable he can be.

The climactic “The Black Mirror Episode” has OME blaming an episode of the sci-fi variety show Black Mirror for ruining his marriage. When asked if he would ever say which episode of the show it was, OME said “im for real never going to tell” and then elaborated in the New York Times: “It wasn’t like we called it quits that night, but we were watching an episode with this couple in it, and I don’t think we were able to come back from that.

Compared to his last project Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, ATaD’s scope and tone are significantly different, and, like with any sudden shift in an artist's style, doesn’t fully make the mark. Some of the choruses here and there could be better and the short song lengths leave much to be desired. But I like to think of ATaD as a turning point in Mike’s music and just a transitional moment into something bigger. I really do love this new side of OME and hopefully ATaD is the turning of a new leaf onto something even greater than before.

Anime, Trauma, and Divorce has Open Mike Eagle opening up deeper than ever, making something good out of his distraught emotions with sweet beats, warm tones, and laughter as medicine.

RIYL: Quelle Chris, Billy Woods, KA, Nocando

Listen To: “Bucciarati (Kari Faux)”, “I’m a Joestar”