Open Mike Eagle On ‘People’s Party With Talib Kweli’

In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli”, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper, writer, actor, and podcaster:

OPEN MIKE EAGLE

Here’s what they got into with the emcee who carved out a whole new lane for himself with “art rap”:

• How he feels about being labeled a rapper/comedian
• His hometown of Southside Chicago and the notorious Robert Taylor Homes
• The variations in rap styles of the South and West sides of Chicago
• Assimilating into the Los Angeles scene after his move
• Breaking down the concept of his song “Sweatpants Spiderman”
• Meeting his close friend comedian Hannibal Buress in college
• His history of teaching during the day and rapping at night
• The Project Blowed scene in LA as an open-mic workshop for emcees
• Mike’s affinity for De La Soul and the Native Tongues movement
• The reasons why he titled his album ‘Rappers Will Die Of Natural Causes’
• His album ‘Dark Comedy’ and it’s themes critiquing problems in society
• Participating in a scientific study on how freestyling affects brain waves
• The history behind the Eurocentric leanings of anime
• Loving the freedom that comes from doing his own podcasts
• The work he’s done on the hit cartoon “Adventure Time”
• Why he felt his show, “The New Negroes”, didn’t get picked up for a second season
• The history of ‘hotep’ being a term of endearment to being one of slander
• Who would win in a ‘woke off’ between Mike and Talib
• Mike’s experiences performing during quarantine on zoom
• Dissecting Mike’s album ‘Anime Trauma + Divorce’

“People’s Party With Talib Kweli” is also available to give a listen via Spotify | SoundCloud | Google Play | Apple | Luminary