Open Mike Eagle is a 45-year-old MC, producer, and comedian from Chicago, Illinois, widely recognized for his tenure with the Project Blowed collective. While his full-length debut, Unapologetic Art Rap, arrived in 2010, he has since built a prolific catalog including Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes and 4NML HSPTL, eventually making his mark with the Mello Music Group debut Dark Comedy. Following collaborations with Paul White on Hella Personal Film Festival and his departure from MMG, his 10th studio LP marks a significant milestone as his debut for Backwoodz Studioz, distributed by Rhymesayers Entertainment. This project, Doomed!: Rap Songs About a Relationship That Ends in Every Possible Universe, stands out as a unique entry in his discography, largely due to the experimental production of Kenny Segal.
The album opens with “Out to Lunch,” an outstanding jazz rap track that sets a contemplative tone. The project continues with “Streets of Rage: Public Arguments Edition,” featuring Gothic Tropic, which utilizes vibraphone textures and crisp percussion to explore themes of conflict. The track “Doomed!” further leans into jazz-infused production, punctuated by clever pop-culture references, including a nod to professional wrestling legend Lex Luger.
The album features notable guest appearances, including Hemlock Ernst on the soulful “Unfinished Concrete Initials,” which captures the feeling of emptiness following a departure. The track “She Swear I’m Colorblind” features a standout verse from billy woods, adding a layer of lyrical depth to the project’s exploration of interpersonal conflict. Throughout the second half, tracks like “The Irredeemable Magic Man” and “The Many Hustles of My Lonely Time Traveling Uncle” showcase a blend of bluesy instrumentation and boom-bap sensibilities, maintaining the album’s cohesive, if abstract, narrative.
The project concludes with “Watching a Movie Called Freedom By Myself,” which brings the album to a dreamy, introspective close. Since the partnership between Backwoodz Studioz and Rhymesayers Entertainment began, the label has been on an impressive run, and this release is no exception. By utilizing Kenny Segal’s experimentally jazzy production to frame his consciously abstract lyricism, Open Mike Eagle has delivered a top-tier project that solidifies his place in the modern hip-hop landscape.
Score: 9/10