Open Mike Eagle on “Neighborhood Gods Limitless”
Reassembling Shattered Creativity
Aug 01, 2025
Net Unique
Pictures by Robert Adam Mayer
What would possibly you do in case your telephone acquired 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 system was filled 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 Information).
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 complicated, left area lyrics, but additionally 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 in the future, observed his earbuds stopped working, and realized his telephone—containing so a lot of his new music concepts—was not in his pocket. At the very least he captured these particulars vividly on Neighborhood Gods Limitless key monitor “okay however im the telephone display.”
“It form of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that music. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that music,” Eagle tells Beneath the Radar throughout a latest 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 needed to write down a extra bold narrative for this album, and extra.
Kyle Mullin (Beneath the Radar): “Okay however im the telephone display” rapidly escalates and has fairly a vivid narrative. Might you inform me in regards to the inspiration behind it? Additionally, do you’re feeling such as you’re becoming a member of the pantheon of nice, Slick Rick type story rap songs with it?
Open Mike Eagle: So the inspiration for that music 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 making an attempt to determine why. I assumed, “Oh nicely, it’s simply because I’m a bit disoriented by not having my regular methods to attach with info on this planet.” However even after I acquired my telephone changed, I nonetheless couldn’t work on music, and I couldn’t work out what was the issue.
Then I spotted it was due to the entire music notes I had on there. A full spectrum of concepts, from music traces to songs I’d began as voice notes. It form of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that music. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that music.
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 understand till a short time after that occurred that that was a type of issues.
There’s additionally a meta narrative by the album about individuals being damaged. So this music slotted proper into that theme as nicely.
Earlier than your telephone, did you have got a pocket book, a “ebook 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 fully undergo them firstly of a challenge. I acquired an enormous workplace field filled with them someplace. And it goes all the best way again to my early group days with [cult L.A. hip-hop trio] Thirsty Fish, to my first few albums and EPs, to possibly 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 certain, as a result of my rap type has modified anyway since that [notebook] period of my profession.
How has it modified?
Beforehand in my profession, particularly when you take 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 thinking about excelling in again then.
Through the years I’ve gotten much less involved with that a part of it, and extra centered on visualizations, differing types of timings, and rhythms.
And mockingly, on Neighborhood Gods Limitless again half monitor “Rejoinder” you have got a line about writing the whole lot you’re saying within the music in pencil.
True, however that wasn’t literal. The music is about making an attempt 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 will 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 possibly erasing and changing one thing?
Precisely.
Talking of how your songwriting course of modified through the years: it looks like you’re singing and being extra melodic on this album. Like on “Rejoinder,” you’re virtually crooning a bit bit. And lead single “contraband (the plug has luggage 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 when you take a look at my first EP, I used to sing loads. And while you get to Darkish Comedy, which I feel is my fourth album, there’s a music on there with, like, no rapping on it in any respect. “Deathmate Black” is sung virtually all over.
That was a talent or a craft that I’ve been thinking about. I’ve all the time listened to a complete lot of forms of music— most likely as a lot different rock and pop as rap music. So I’ve all the time needed to have the ability to specific in that medium as nicely.
The factor is, early on, I’d do it though I didn’t know easy methods to do it in any respect. So that will produce various outcomes. Typically it got here collectively nice. Typically it was me most likely reaching manner past what my physique was educated to do at that time.
Performing stay by the years has improved my singing capacity. 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 fully ignored in the course of the early a part of my profession.
And I feel there are a few hooks on Anime, Trauma and Divorce, however on my more moderen albums I form of moved away from singing. As a result of I needed to reveal my rap abilities. I felt the tradition at massive transferring in that route. As a result of I come from avenue nook rapping. You already know, like, “rapping ass rapping.” So I needed to play that recreation too.
Then, on this new album, I needed 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 music. 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 actually help hooks too, as a result of they’re very musical. So there’s actually way more singing on this challenge, however that’s a route I really feel like I used to be transferring again in direction of deliberately.
Is there one thing in regards to the lyrics or themes on this challenge that helped you attain that call?
I feel that’s true. There’s loads of dream logic occurring right here. Quite a lot of otherworldly storytelling. So on this album, I used to be way more comfy breaking the shape, as a result of I would like this challenge to really feel like the types of films I like, and the types 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,” while 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 wish to current the imagery, and have or not it’s open to interpretation.
The tone of “contraband” is de facto fascinating too. Since you’re not fairly whispering it, but it surely’s very downcast. Inform me extra about what you needed to do with that music sonically.
That’s simply what the beat felt prefer it was asking for. As if I’m asking the listener to comply with me on a darkly whimsical journey on that music. And it’s very introspective and heavy, however then there’s a melody pulling the entire thing alongside too. And it’s the form of music that I didn’t wish to attempt to dominate with rap, or attempt to compete with. I needed to mix into it. And once more, simply vocal vary clever, now that I’ve a greater understanding of my singing, it saved me in that decrease register all through the entire thing.
Kenny Segal produced that music, proper? What’s your dynamic with him like? He’s, in any case, one of the vital 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 music, was that in 2012? I’ve recognized him a very long time.
Like, while you put out Darkish Comedy?
A bit earlier. However he undoubtedly has a beat on Darkish Comedy. I used to be making an attempt to suppose if we had one thing earlier than that. However I’ve recognized him even earlier than then.
He’s acquired loads of musical talent along with being an excellent producer. He tends to have beats which can be very easy to assemble a music over, as a result of they’ve such highly effective musical parts to them. They normally construct up. They usually have completely different sections or segments that permit me to go completely different locations as a songwriter. So each time I make a music with him, it’s all the time unconventional in one of the best ways.
What about a few of the different manufacturing on the album?
By way of any person who I hadn’t labored with earlier than, I’m actually excited in regards to the outcomes I made with Okay-Nite on “my co-worker clark kent’s secret black field” and the opener “awakened realizing the whole lot.” I simply actually appreciated the musicality but onerous hitting-ness of his beats, the place they really feel very trendy, but very throwback.
There’s additionally loads of Youngster Actor beats on there. That’s any person I’ve been working with actually carefully 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 also be on right here. What did Earlier Industries do for you as an MC? And the way does that carry over to this challenge?
I used to be speaking earlier about wanting to actually rap on my previous few tasks. Earlier Industries grew to become the last 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 several types 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 contains 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 music. So I simply needed to color that image for individuals.
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 music 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 making an attempt to make with this new album.
That is the primary album that I’ve finished with a story in a few years. I needed it to really feel like the flicks and tv reveals that I really like, the place you may really feel emotions and comply with together with a personality. However I like artsy films— so the whole lot isn’t essentially defined to you. Folks 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 acquired comedic parts and tragic parts.
I haven’t finished 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 individuals to have the ability to strategy that challenge in the best way I needed 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.
Possibly that may turn into extra obvious to listeners like me upon repeated listens. How did it really feel to make a story once more? And what made you understand you needed to do this once more?
The unique thought for this got here from a tv challenge about trauma that I used to be creating. The thought caught with me a lot that I simply began writing songs about it, and determined it might be my subsequent challenge. 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 wish 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’ll not have been capable of pull off earlier than.
What are some examples of that?
Just like the music “sorry I acquired large (additionally not a euphemism).” That’s one of many earliest songs that I wrote for this challenge. And after I first began making music, I typically used a low vocal tone and supply. Nevertheless it was principally as a result of I didn’t know what I used to be doing, and I didn’t know easy methods 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 acquired there, I used to be like “Oh, I ought to do that on a regular basis.”
Now, doing it on a music like this, I used to be like “The explanation for rapping in such a low voice right here is as a result of it’s a delicate dialog.” I needed to make it very conversational. And make a listener lean in, and attempt to perceive what I’m making an attempt to say. And I really feel like I did that.
