Open Mike Eagle Launches 6-Part Lance Bangs-Directed Wrestling Docu-Series

Rapper, Open Mike Eagle released his debut album, Unapologetic Art Rap, 9 years ago, after relocating to Los Angeles from his home town of Chicago, where he’d been studying psychology.  Prior to dropping that release, he’d been honing his skills at Project Blowed, the legendary open mic workshop and rap collective spawned by Good Life Cafe alumni like Abstract Rude and Freestyle Fellowship.  Over the years, Mike has carved out a name for himself in the independent rap world, often merging humor and inspired production with poignant political and social commentary.  In 2012, he even co-authored a study in Nature international weekly journal of science that scanned and studied the brain patterns of rappers during moments of improvisation.  But while Eagle has been pounding away in the public sphere for the better part of a decade, he’s never quite had a year like this past one, as far as visibility is concerned.  His latest successes haven’t come from paring things down to focus more directly on one specific interest, as many might suggest, either.  It’s actually come from the emcee finding — or, rather, creating — platforms that could most adequately support everything that his multi-dimensional personality encompasses.

Collaborating with comedian, Baron Vaughn, the duo created the Comedy Central program, The New Negroes, a variety show of sorts that operates as a hybrid of both standup comedy and music.  Some of the standout moments from the first season are musical skits featuring guests like MF Doom and Danny Brown.  These bits offered nuanced takes on the experience of blackness in ways that remained entertaining; drilling vital points home that are far too often overlooked by those who never experience them, while brilliantly laying them out in ways that are often difficult to vocalize.  OME and Vaughn initially performed a version of The New Negroes in spaces like LA‘s infamous Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where they made enough noise to have their show commissioned by the network where they’ve found themselves.  Returning to those roots, the pair will be performing on select shows during an upcoming live tour.

But, if you’re reading this, I’d imagine that you’ve probably read the headline, as well.  And if you have, then you should know that this post isn’t really about any of what has been mentioned in the previous lead up.  It’s not really about Mike‘s musical career, and it isn’t really related to his Comedy Central program, although it does involve rapping and some pretty amusing elements.  If anything, it mostly relates to Eagle‘s history in psychological analysis, because it appears that he’s gotten himself into something a little more unorthodox, simply due to a fascination, if not outright compulsion, to poke at a situation that presented itself.  The gist of things is that he stumbled into some sort of online back and forth with “the infamously detested wrestler and amateur rapper Shiloh Jonze” which ultimately evolved to the point where Mike was forced to face off in the ring IRL with his new internet nemesis.  His wrestling debut and everything that led up to it was then documented by filmmaker/video director, Lance Bangs, who is also the man behind the Slint documentary, Breadcrumb Trail.  The documentary series, which is titled Clap Back: When Keeping It Real Goes Wrestling and features an impressive list of cameos from the wrestling, music, and comedy worlds, will be presented in 6 parts, exclusively to subscribers on OME‘s Patreon page.

Eagle offers the following insight regarding the project: