Open Mike Eagle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Open Mike Eagle
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Open Mike Eagle performing in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Mike Eagle |
| Born | November 14, 1980 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Years active | 2003–present |
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Michael W. Eagle II, known as Open Mike Eagle, is an American rapper and comedian. He was born on November 14, 1980. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He is part of a hip hop group called Project Blowed. He has also been a member of other groups like Thirsty Fish, Swim Team, and Cavanaugh.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mike grew up in Chicago. He lived with his grandparents until he was 13 years old. Then, he moved in with his mother. He also has a younger brother and sister.
He went to Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. After high school, he studied psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He was the second African American homecoming king in the school's long history. He also joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
After college, he went to graduate school for one year. He then moved to Los Angeles to live with his dad. He worked for AmeriCorps for six months. Later, he got a job at a non-profit halfway house. While working different jobs, Mike enjoyed rapping as a hobby. He then found Project Blowed and helped create the group Thirsty Fish.
Music Career
Open Mike Eagle has released many albums and EPs. He is known for his unique style of rap.
Early Music Groups
Open Mike Eagle, along with Dumbfoundead and Psychosiz, formed a rap trio called Thirsty Fish. They released their first album, Testing the Waters, in 2007. Their second album, Watergate, came out in 2011.
All three members of Thirsty Fish also started a battle crew called Swim Team. In 2008, Swim Team released a mixtape called Ocean's 11.
Solo Albums and Collaborations
In 2010, Open Mike Eagle released his first solo album, Unapologetic Art Rap. This album featured other rappers like Nocando and Busdriver. His second album, Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes, was released in 2011.
In 2012, he released 4nml Hsptl. He also worked on a study with the National Institutes of Health that looked at brain activity during freestyle rapping.
He released the album Dark Comedy in 2014. In 2016, he worked with producer Paul White on the album Hella Personal Film Festival.
In 2017, he released Brick Body Kids Still Daydream. This album was about the Robert Taylor Homes, a public housing project in Chicago where he grew up. This album was listed as one of the best albums of 2017 by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. In 2018, he released an EP called What Happens When I Try to Relax.
His recent solo albums include Anime, Trauma and Divorce (2020), Component System with the Auto Reverse (2022), and Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering (2023). He also collaborated on Time and Materials (2015) with Serengeti as Cavanaugh.
Podcasts and Comedy
Open Mike Eagle is also known for his work in podcasts and comedy.
Podcast Shows
In June 2015, Eagle and John Moe started a podcast called "Conversation Parade". They talked about the Adventure Time cartoon show. Many voice actors and creators from the show appeared as guests.
Open Mike Eagle also hosts his own podcast called Secret Skin. He co-hosts a wrestling podcast called Tights and Fights with Hal Lublin and Danielle Radford. He also hosts "What Had Happened Was," where he interviews hip-hop artists about their careers. He has interviewed famous producers like Prince Paul and El-P, and artists like Questlove.
Comedy and TV Appearances
Open Mike Eagle loves Adventure Time. He even voiced a rapping gingerbread man in an episode during the show's tenth season.
In 2017, Comedy Central announced a new stand-up and music series called The New Negroes. Open Mike Eagle co-hosted this show with Baron Vaughn. It started in April 2019 and featured new music videos in each episode. Eagle worked with other hip-hop artists like MF Doom, Danny Brown, and Lizzo on these videos.
He also appeared in three episodes of Netflix's 2020 show History of Swear Words. He writes original songs for the AppleTV+ show Strange Planet.
Personal Life
Open Mike Eagle met his ex-wife, Tiffany, at a conference at UCLA. They have one son together. Mike Eagle and his wife divorced in 2020.
Music Style
Open Mike Eagle has a unique style of music. He calls some of his music "art rap." In an interview from 2016, he shared that the band They Might Be Giants influenced his music.
Discography
Studio Albums
Solo Albums
- Unapologetic Art Rap (Mush Records, 2010)
- Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes (Hellfyre Club, 2011)
- 4nml Hsptl (Fake Four Inc., 2012)
- Dark Comedy (Mello Music Group, 2014)
- Hella Personal Film Festival (Mello Music Group, 2016)
- Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (Mello Music Group, 2017)
- Anime, Trauma and Divorce (Auto Reverse Records, 2020)
- Component System with the Auto Reverse (Auto Reverse Records, 2022)
- Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering (Auto Reverse Records, 2023)
Collaborations
- Testing the Waters (Bell Rang Records, 2008) (with Dumbfoundead and Psychosiz, as Thirsty Fish)
- Watergate (Mush Records, 2011) (with Dumbfoundead and Psychosiz, as Thirsty Fish)
- Time and Materials (Mello Music Group, 2015) (with Serengeti, as Cavanaugh)
EPs
- The Finger Booger EP (2003)
- Art Rap After Party (Mush Records, 2010)
- What Happens When I Try to Relax (Auto Reverse Records, 2018)
