When it comes to fleshing out an album concept, very few rappers are as adept or as thorough as Open Mike Eagle.
While popping up on Soundcloud’s “Next Wave” documentary series, collaborating with fellow art-rap act Buy Muy Drugs on their latest, and bringing his television series The New Negroes to Comedy Central, Mike somehow still had the time to not just record a new album, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, but to also cook up an elaborate marketing plan for it that includes a music video concept called Dark Comedy Television, where each music video is formatted as a television show called Dark Comedy Prime News on a cable network programmed by Open Mike himself. The first of which, “95 Radios,” can be viewed above.
Mike initially conceived Brick Body Kids Still Daydream on a flight to Chicago, Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes, the massive public housing complex in Chicago that was torn down a decade ago following public vote. He was shocked to discover that nothing was rebuilt where they stood, all that existed was an overgrown field, so he imagined the album as a series of stories found in the rubble of the demolished buildings, from the perspective of a daydreaming kid in the projects.
The album will feature production from the likes of Exile, Nobody, Andrew Broder, Kenny Segal, Illingsworth and Has-Lo, with live instrumentation from Grammy-nominated musician Jordan Katz, with a guest appearance by nerdcore indie rapper Sammus. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream will be available on Sept. 15 through Mello Music Group. Pre-order the album here:
Apple Music: https://radi.al/HPy3hxD
Bandcamp: https://tinyurl.com/yd7lwev9
Vinyl: https://tinyurl.com/ybhdsbc3
