Open Mike Eagle on “Neighborhood Gods Limitless”
Reassembling Shattered Creativity
Aug 01, 2025
Internet Unique
Pictures by Robert Adam Mayer
What would possibly you do in case your telephone obtained destroyed? Debilitating as that sounds for any of us, Open Mike Eagle discovered it all of the extra soul crushing. That’s as a result of his gadget was stuffed with notes and audio clips that he deliberate to construct into songs for his subsequent album, Neighborhood Gods Limitless (which he launched independently final month on his personal Auto Reverse Data).
The Chicago-born, L.A.-based MC is an underground rap legend—not solely because of his mixture of hummable hooks that lure you into his advanced, left subject lyrics, but in addition due to his deep dive podcasts with hip-hop forebearers like ?uestlove, Prince Paul, El-P, Rhymefest, and extra. And but, his confidence as a veteran MC who has garnered a lot acclaim was dented to an extent after he was strolling down the road someday, seen his earbuds stopped working, and realized his telephone—containing so lots of his new track concepts—was now not in his pocket. No less than he captured these particulars vividly on Neighborhood Gods Limitless key monitor “okay however im the telephone display screen.”
“It kind of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that track. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that track,” Eagle tells Below the Radar throughout a current Zoom name forward of the album’s launch.
Under, he tells us extra about contending with emotional points by songwriting and rapping, how he balances dense rapping with catchy choruses, why he wished to put in writing a extra formidable narrative for this album, and extra.
Kyle Mullin (Below the Radar): “Okay however im the telephone display screen” rapidly escalates and has fairly a vivid narrative. May you inform me concerning the inspiration behind it? Additionally, do you are feeling such as you’re becoming a member of the pantheon of nice, Slick Rick model story rap songs with it?
Open Mike Eagle: So the inspiration for that track is that basically occurred to me. I used to be engaged on the album then, and after it occurred, it knocked me off of my inventive momentum for like a month. And I used to be attempting to determine why. I believed, “Oh effectively, it’s simply because I’m a bit disoriented by not having my typical methods to attach with info on this planet.” However even after I obtained my telephone changed, I nonetheless couldn’t work on music, and I couldn’t determine what was the issue.
Then I spotted it was due to all the track notes I had on there. A full spectrum of concepts, from track traces to songs I’d began as voice notes. It kind of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that track. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that track.
It’s like after I made [the critically acclaimed 2020 album] Anime, Trauma and Divorce. I can’t course of some issues till I sit and write about them. And I didn’t notice till a short time after that occurred that that was a type of issues.
There’s additionally a meta narrative by the album about folks being damaged. So this track slotted proper into that theme as effectively.
Earlier than your telephone, did you may have a pocket book, a “guide of rhymes” like Nas used to rap about?
Oh yeah. By means of your entire first half of my profession I had all these spiral notebooks. Pocket book after pocket book after pocket book. And I’d simply utterly undergo them in the beginning of a venture. I obtained a giant workplace field stuffed with them someplace. And it goes all the way in which again to my early group days with [cult L.A. hip-hop trio] Thirsty Fish, to my first few albums and EPs, to perhaps even early Hellfyre Membership stuff [an underground label that released many of Eagle’s early projects].
Did switching from notebooks to your telephone change your songwriting?
I can’t say for positive, as a result of my rap model has modified anyway since that [notebook] period of my profession.
How has it modified?
Beforehand in my profession, particularly in the event you have a look at my first two or three albums, I used to be primarily specializing in rhyming. The novelty of the rhyme, what number of syllables it was, and the way I might make all of it make sense logically, whereas nonetheless pushing patterns and rhyme schemes ahead. That was the game that I used to be excited by excelling in again then.
Over time I’ve gotten much less involved with that a part of it, and extra centered on visualizations, different types of timings, and rhythms.
And satirically, on Neighborhood Gods Limitless again half monitor “Rejoinder” you may have a line about writing every part you’re saying within the track in pencil.
True, however that wasn’t literal. The track is about attempting to welcome again an individual who’s been outcast, or welcome again a component of myself that has been exiled. And that half about writing in pencil is about being conscious that simply an invite again into the circle might not be sufficient. As in: it’s not sufficient simply to say “I’m sorry that I left you.” So writing all of it in pencil means being open to listening to different elements of this dialog.
And perhaps erasing and changing one thing?
Precisely.
Talking of how your songwriting course of modified over time: it looks like you’re singing and being extra melodic on this album. Like on “Rejoinder,” you’re nearly crooning a bit bit. And lead single “contraband (the plug has baggage of me)” sounds borderline bluesy. Some MCs I interview say it may be intimidating to sing, like going out of your consolation zone. What has that been like?
So when my profession began, particularly in the event you have a look at my first EP, I used to sing rather a lot. And if you get to Darkish Comedy, which I believe is my fourth album, there’s a track on there with, like, no rapping on it in any respect. “Deathmate Black” is sung nearly during.
That was a ability or a craft that I’ve been excited by. I’ve all the time listened to an entire lot of varieties of music— most likely as a lot different rock and pop as rap music. So I’ve all the time wished to have the ability to specific in that medium as effectively.
The factor is, early on, I’d do it regardless that I didn’t know the right way to do it in any respect. So that might produce various outcomes. Generally it got here collectively nice. Generally it was me most likely reaching approach past what my physique was skilled to do at that time.
Performing stay by the years has improved my singing capability. To remain on pitch. To even perceive the weather of singing, and harmonies and octaves. And my pure singing vary, which is one thing I utterly ignored in the course of the early a part of my profession.
And I believe there are a few hooks on Anime, Trauma and Divorce, however on my newer albums I kind of moved away from singing. As a result of I wished to exhibit my rap abilities. I felt the tradition at massive shifting in that route. As a result of I come from road nook rapping. , like, “rapping ass rapping.” So I wished to play that sport too.
Then, on this new album, I wished to have my hooks once more. It’s truly one of many issues that units me aside—that I can write a hook, that I can write a track. So it doesn’t essentially make sense for me to be rapping 48 bars, with no hook. And the beats I like have a tendency to essentially help hooks too, as a result of they’re very musical. So there’s actually far more singing on this venture, however that’s a route I really feel like I used to be shifting again in the direction of deliberately.
Is there one thing concerning the lyrics or themes on this venture that helped you attain that call?
I believe that’s true. There’s plenty of dream logic happening right here. A variety of otherworldly storytelling. So on this album, I used to be far more snug breaking the shape, as a result of I would like this venture to really feel like the kinds of flicks I like, and the kinds of different media I like. The place you don’t know what’s actual and what’s not. And that did appear to open the door for me to go tougher on the hooks.
It actually sounds surreal at instances. Like on “contraband,” if you rap: “I do know God, that’s homegirl down the road.”
Sure, it’s evocative imagery. And it does have a literal grounding component to it. However I’m not involved with presenting that a part of it as a lot as I need to current the imagery, and have or not it’s open to interpretation.
The tone of “contraband” is actually attention-grabbing too. Since you’re not fairly whispering it, however it’s very downcast. Inform me extra about what you wished to do with that track sonically.
That’s simply what the beat felt prefer it was asking for. As if I’m asking the listener to observe me on a darkly whimsical journey on that track. And it’s very introspective and heavy, however then there’s a melody pulling the entire thing alongside too. And it’s the kind of music that I didn’t need to attempt to dominate with rap, or attempt to compete with. I wished to mix into it. And once more, simply vocal vary clever, now that I’ve a greater understanding of my singing, it stored me in that decrease register all through the entire thing.
Kenny Segal produced that track, proper? What’s your dynamic with him like? He’s, in spite of everything, one of the well-regarded producers in underground hip-hop.
Yeah he produced that and the nearer, “limitless cranium voices.” I’ve been working with him since, gosh… [pauses and thinks], he and I made our first track, was that in 2012? I’ve identified him a very long time.
Like, if you put out Darkish Comedy?
A bit earlier. However he undoubtedly has a beat on Darkish Comedy. I used to be attempting to suppose if we had one thing earlier than that. However I’ve identified him even earlier than then.
He’s obtained plenty of musical ability along with being an awesome producer. He tends to have beats which might be very easy to assemble a track over, as a result of they’ve such highly effective musical components to them. They often construct up. And so they have totally different sections or segments that enable me to go totally different locations as a songwriter. So every time I make a track with him, it’s all the time unconventional in one of the best ways.
What about among the different manufacturing on the album?
When it comes to any person who I hadn’t labored with earlier than, I’m actually excited concerning the outcomes I made with Okay-Nite on “my co-worker clark kent’s secret black field” and the opener “awoke figuring out every part.” I simply actually favored the musicality but onerous hitting-ness of his beats, the place they really feel very fashionable, but very throwback.
There’s additionally plenty of Little one Actor beats on there. That’s any person I’ve been working with actually intently over the previous 4 years, between my solo stuff and my group Earlier Industries. I actually, actually love his sound. And Playa Haze and August Fanon, each of whom I’ve been desirous to work with for years, and who I lastly was capable of make one thing occur with for this album.
Talking of Earlier Industries: your group mate from that, Video Dave, can be on right here. What did Earlier Industries do for you as an MC? And the way does that carry over to this venture?
I used to be speaking earlier about wanting to essentially rap on my previous few tasks. Earlier Industries grew to become the final word outlet for that, as a result of it’s simply the three of us bunkering down and MC’ing. That freed me up creatively to have the ability to return into various kinds of songwriting approaches on my solo stuff.
So is “me and aquil stealing stuff from work” on this new LP an instance of you actually “rap-y rapping?” As a result of it has such a cool idea about you stealing sneakers from the shoe retailer you’re employed at.
Sure, however that’s additionally a real story. It incorporates a rapper title Mr. Aquil. We went to highschool collectively, and had our first job collectively, the place we used to steal stuff. And once more, it was simply actually enjoyable and actually cathartic to inform that story over a beat like that. Like, I used to be actually feeling annoyed with life at the moment, and I used to be again in that mindset making that track. So I simply wished to color that image for folks.
So there’s you stealing from work. You breaking your telephone. How a lot of this album is autobiographical?
It’s all considerably autobiographical. However not all direct expertise. There’s a track on there known as “a dream of the midnight child.” I truly had a dream a couple of child. And it match into the album’s general story.
Inform me extra about that general story, and any broader themes or statements you’re attempting to make with this new album.
That is the primary album that I’ve completed with a story in a few years. I wished it to really feel like the flicks and tv reveals that I really like, the place you’ll be able to really feel emotions and observe together with a personality. However I like artsy motion pictures— so every part isn’t essentially defined to you. Individuals don’t all the time come to a rap album anticipating it to be like that. It’s a surreal story, and it’s a trauma story, and it’s obtained comedic components and tragic components.
I haven’t completed that in a few years. The final album that I made that had a story was 4nml Hsptl [in 2012]. And I all the time checked out that album as if I failed the concept behind it, as a result of I didn’t inform anyone that there was a story on that album. I didn’t set the desk nice for folks to have the ability to strategy that venture in the way in which I wished them to. Now I really feel extra able to doing one thing like that. And I’m extra conscious that I would like to return proper out and say it, even when I’m not saying precisely what the narrative is, I perceive the necessity to say that there’s a story there.
Perhaps that may turn out to be extra obvious to listeners like me upon repeated listens. How did it really feel to make a story once more? And what made you notice you wished to try this once more?
The unique concept for this got here from a tv venture about trauma that I used to be growing. The thought caught with me a lot that I simply began writing songs about it, and determined it might be my subsequent venture. It’s me musically telling the story that I nonetheless could inform different methods.
And the way did that push you in new instructions as an artist?
I really feel proud for the try at the subject material, and the temper and vibe and expertise that I need to create with it. And likewise simply when it comes to the craft of being a recording artist, there’s some issues that I’ve been desirous to do right here when it comes to vocal supply, dynamics and, songwriting that I really feel I actually was capable of pull off, that I could not have been capable of pull off earlier than.
What are some examples of that?
Just like the track “sorry I obtained enormous (additionally not a euphemism).” That’s one of many earliest songs that I wrote for this venture. And after I first began making music, I usually used a low vocal tone and supply. However it was largely as a result of I didn’t know what I used to be doing, and I didn’t know the right way to have a rap voice that minimize by the music, and was projected however nonetheless managed sufficient for the studio. It took me some time to get there. And as soon as I obtained there, I used to be like “Oh, I ought to do that on a regular basis.”
Now, doing it on a track like this, I used to be like “The rationale for rapping in such a low voice right here is as a result of it’s a delicate dialog.” I wished to make it very conversational. And make a listener lean in, and attempt to perceive what I’m attempting to say. And I really feel like I did that.
