This album was released on July 11th this year. Open Mike Eagle is one of my favorite rappers of all time, and he has a bulletproof discography, so I was very excited to check this project out in order to see if he would continue the streak of quality albums. I also was very intrigued by the production credits. It was awesome to see unexpected placements from guys like ialive & Nolan the Ninja, and I was also excited to see Child Actor & Kenny Segal here. I thought the Previous Industries album that dropped in 2024 was pretty great too, so I was excited to see how Mike would follow that up. I pretty much had no reason to not be excited for this. It thankfully surpassed my expectations. This is one of the best albums he’s ever put out in my opinion. There’s not a single track here that I don’t like.

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The album starts off with a highlight called woke up knowing everything (opening theme). The first thing you hear is a little clip of a voice saying “DARK COMEDY TELEVISION,” which got me pretty excited. Dark Comedy was the first Open Mike project I ever heard, and it’s still one of my favorites. I was really interested to see the connection between that project and this latest album. Oh, by the way, if you have any interest in this album or Mike’s career in general, I suggest checking out his interview with my homie Rohan on the Rap Music Plug Podcast. I personally think Rohan is doing the best interviews in underground rap right now, and OME even said that it’s one of the best interviews he’s done, so be sure to check that out. Anyway, this song is produced by K-Nite 13, and it’s got one of the best instrumentals on the whole album to me. It kinda reminds me of the sound of 4NML HSPTL, which is another one of my favorite projects from him. It’s like a wall of sound and melody that floods my ears. Open Mike fits over this instrumental perfectly too. I love his vocals on the hook, and both of the verses are fire. The second verse in particular was really awesome.

I had the whole United States wrong, this country stays what it's based on
These pagans escaped to make law, only havin' faith in a bank draw
And this whole shit's an experiment when you only value inheritance
The only freedoms we project is disrespectful and arrogant
Roll the Bill of Rights in a pipe and use it on Nancy Kerrigan
'Cause Hogan said "nigga" and he was a real American

This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. A lot of it is due to the phenomenal production, but OME sounds perfect over it. The song’s boiling hot fire.

Track 2 is called me and aquil stealing stuff from work, and it features an artist with whom I was previously unfamiliar named AQ. Once again, the production here is pretty awesome. Child Actor’s instrumental here sounds great. Open Mike’s verse at the beginning of the track is nice, and the “show the Mephistos” refrain is really cool too. I had no idea that Mephistos were a brand of shoes when I listened to this, so I was a little lost. It all makes sense now though. The guest verse from AQ is honestly the most exciting part of the song though. I have no idea who that guy is, but I really enjoyed his performance here. The song’s dope as hell.

Track 3 is another major highlight called contraband (the plug has bags of me). This song has easily one of the best instrumentals I’ve heard all year from Kenny Segal & Mike Parvizi. The guitar-driven production along with the sung hook sounds fantastic. The first verse from Open Mike on this track is really great, but the one at the very end of the track is even better in my opinion. His melodic flow sounds so good here.

Chest is wrinkled up, flesh is crinkle cut
Secret questions, yes, messing people up
Safehouse is filled with captured flags
Chopped my old self up to acid jazz
Know what I have and haven't had
Bought myself back in plastic bags
Let's call it contraband
Waitin' to return to the land like Rocket Man
Fuel cells burn, ain't no oxygen
Saw my eyes, they said not again

This is a contender for my favorite track on the album. The instrumental is incredible, and Mike killed it.

The following track is called almost broke my nucleus accumbens, and it has a pretty fire guest verse from Still Rift. His verse actually feels longer than that of OME to me. Both of their verses are great though. Once again, the melodic, kind of Electronic, almost Art Poppy production is top notch. This is one of the shortest songs on the album, and I think it could’ve been extended a bit, but I love it as it is. The “how do I get some more me?” outro sounds really nice too. Overall, I think this song is fire.

Track 5 is another major highlight called ok but I’m the phone screen. This is honestly one of the best songs Open Mike Eagle has ever made. It’s all about how his phone got destroyed and he lost a bunch of important files and shit.

My phone fell out my pocket, didn’t hear it hit the street
I was walkin’ to the liquor store to get something to drink
And suddenly my buzz was glitching like they on the blink
And my phone ain't in my pocket, so my stomach start to sink
Did I drop it in the road? It’s looking like it, no?
Maybe never had it, like I left the thing at home
This has got to be out of the Bluetooth signal zone
But thinking back, I prolly shoulda known

This song just feels so Open Mike Eagle. It’s so reflective of his style. I don’t know who else would make a song like this. Maybe Homeboy Sandman? I don’t know.

I shoulda put it in the cloud, I didn't have it backed up
It might've got smashed by a Mack truck
The whole body flattened and the glass cracked up
My girl helped me get the SIM card, it was mad dust

The instrumental kinda reminded me of something I might hear in a Mac DeMarco song. I think it sounds awesome. Child Actor killed this beat. The song’s amazing.

The following track is called michigan j. wonder, and I was very curious about this track because it’s produced by ialive. It thankfully ended up being another one of the best songs on the album to me. ialive’s melodic production here is fantastic, and Open Mike killed it. I found the hook on this track to be very enjoyable and relatable.

I get weird
Even when I'm by myself
I make faces
Even when I'm by myself
I talk loud
Even when I'm by myself
I yell "Fuck that!"
Even when I'm by myself
I write raps
Even when I'm by myself
I do dance moves
Even when I'm by myself
I crack jokes
Even when I'm by myself
I say "Hell nah!"
Even when I'm by myself

Both of the verses are really nice here too. I especially like the rhyme scheme he had going on the final verse…

I don’t know what to watch
Some old sitcom, it must've flopped
My inner dialogue cuss a lot
I watched the videos Busta shot
I meant to write, but I must've not
It’s sensitive, don’t touch the spot
My tongue’s tied in a double knot
I’m like Sublime, "Lovin’s what I got"

This just feels like another one of those songs that only he would make. I don’t see how anyone who’s already a fan could not like this song. It’s dope as fuck to me.

Track 7 is called mirror pieces in a leather bound briefcase. This is one of the relatively weak songs in the track list for me, but I still think it’s really dope. It was awesome to hear Open Mike over an August Fanon beat, and the opening verse from Video Dave is cool. There’s really nothing about this song that stands out in a bad way. I just don’t love it quite as much as most of the others. Mike’s melodic flow on the final verse sounds great. The song’s dope. I definitely fuck with it. It’s just not a major highlight for me on this album.

The following track is called relentless hands and feet, and it has another excellent beat from Child Actor. A lot of the beats reminded me of the stuff that could’ve been on one of Mike’s earlier albums. The sung hook from OME here is that classic, signature style that fans know and love him for. Both of the verses are fire.

I had to fight a rapper's apathy to get this beat
I'm fightin' self-doubt to walk this street, and the city's tryna get rid of me
But I ain't leavin' 'til I'm paid to, I prayed to my old pain and it came through

The song has only grown on me with more listens. I think it’s excellent.

Track 9 is called my co-worker clark kent’s secret black box, and it’s yet another highlight. This is a pretty silly track. The lyrical content about having Clark Kent as a co-worker is really well done.

I got this one co-worker, Clark Kent
He working on his first assignment
And he exited with perfect timing
Whenever aliens assault the island
Can't nobody in the office find him
Like it's all just happenstances
That whеnever he go back to Kansas
And thеse aliens attack Manhattan
And the person that defends the island
It's him—without the hat and glasses

I was hooked by the lyricism here. The production from K-Nite 13 kinda gives me Flying Lotus energy a little bit too. It sounds like something that would play during an adult swim bump. The song’s really fun. I love it.

Track 10 is called rejoinder (burning the last puzzle pieces). This one has a really nice, kind of jazzy, laid-back instrumental from Nolan the Ninja. It kinda sounds like something Elaquent would produce to me. I would love to hear Clear Soul Forces over a beat like this. The way Open Mike’s vocals on the hook are layered on top one another sounds pretty phenomenal. That’s honestly the best aspect of the whole song to me. Don’t get me wrong; the verses are very good. The hook just sounds so good though. I love it. The song’s dope as hell.

Track 11 is called a dream of the midnight baby (not a euphemism), and it’s easily my least favorite song on the album. However, I do still enjoy it quite a bit, and it definitely grew on me with repeat listens. I definitely love the production from Child Actor, and the singing from Open Mike on the hook sounds pretty great. I just am not totally in love with his flow on the verses.

I had a dream about a baby, it was talking like a grown-up, it knew all about the universe, and it told me what to do
It was crawling on the ceiling, it was floating in the window, and it said it had a message, and its skin was kinda blue
I was so resistant, so I questioned the existence of a baby full of wisdom with some shit to say to me
I'm a random in the ghetto paying rent, I'm nothing special, I'm not being disrespectful, I just don't know what to do

Just like with the preceding track, the singing on the hook is the best part of the song to me. I think it’s a dope track overall.

It’s followed by wide leg michael jordan generation x jeans, which has another amazing instrumental from Child Actor. I absolutely love this beat. The hook on this track is pretty straightforward; it’s really the actual rapping itself that pushes this track to the next level for me.

Saying I'm unfashionable, I won't listen
So baggy looking at me when shit come up missing
Whispering, pointing, don't pay attention
I'm in studio headphones humming Mint Condition
Your religion is untrue, hybrids confuse you
One leg Karl Kani, other leg FUBU

His flow sounds awesome over this beat. The lyrical content about Open Mike Eagle’s taste in drip seems like something that would be uninteresting on paper, but the song itself had me hooked. Open Mike Eagle is one of those dudes who can make a song about anything. This track is dope as hell.

The penultimate track is another highlight called sorry i got huge (also not a euphemism). Again, Child Actor’s production here is fantastic, and I really adore Open Mike’s kind of reserved, quiet vocal delivery. It sounds like the recording session for this song was probably super intimate. It sounds like he’s super close to the microphone. This is the shortest song on the album, but it doesn’t feel too brief or scant. I have no issues with it. I think it’s awesome.

The closing track is a major highlight called unlimited skull voices. This is the best song on the album. Not only is this the best track on the album, but it’s one of the best songs Open Mike Eagle has ever made. A lot of it is because of the incredible production from Kenny Segal. That dude is unbelievably talented, man. This instrumental is fucking spectacular. Open Mike’s vocals over it sound glorious too. The track ends with the sound of glass breaking, which is a motif that permeates the record. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to represent at first, but Open Mike explained that it’s all about how traumatized people get shattered. The song’s dope as fuck.

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^{This album is amazing. I think it’s easily the best produced album I’ve heard so far in 2025, and Open Mike Eagle sounds perfect over these beats. This is a top 3 Open Mike album to me, and the best album I’ve heard from him since Dark Comedy. I really don’t have any consistent gripes. I just can’t get over how good these beats are. I’m really interested to see how Open Mike Eagle follows this up. I know he’s working on a third Cavanaugh album with Serengeti, so that’s pretty exciting. I look forward to that. Even though I just wrote about every single track on this album, I still feel like I’m barely just scratching the surface of the content here. I feel like I’m lost when it comes to some of these tracks lyrically. I’m gonna be listening to this album a lot just trying to figure out what certain things mean. I’ve been inserting the word “mephisto” into random conversations here and there ever since listening to this album. It’s fun. Anyway, this is currently my favorite album of the year, and solidifies Open Mike Eagle as one of my favorite rappers of all time. This shit is dope as fuck.}

Favorite Song: unlimited skull voices
Least Favorite Song: a dream of the midnight baby (not a euphemism)