New Album From Open Mike Eagle: A Tape Called Component System with the Auto Reverse

Graphic by Cate Banks

By Parker Bennett

In the wide expanse of hyper-specific sub-genres that has come to define musical discourse in the internet age, “Art Rap” is a relative greenhorn. For all intents and purposes, the first usage of the term actually comes from Chicago rapper Open Mike Eagle, whose 2010 album Unapologetic Art Rap coined the term and had many rap fans at the time wondering what exactly it might refer to. In general the consensus seems to be anything left-of-field; off-kilter production coupled with dense lyrics that usually focus on heavy socio-political concepts. Over the past decade, Art Rap has grown in its scope, and has become the stylistic home for some of the most exciting and consistently solid MC’s in the game (E.g., Armand Hammer, Quelle Chris, Jean Grae, R.A.P. Ferreira/Milo, etc.). Unfortunately, Open Mike Eagle’s recent releases haven’t been able to keep up. While his early works like Dark Comedy (2014) and Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (2017) are absolutely excellent, projects like Anime, Trauma, and Divorce (2020) felt somewhat forgettable.

It’s a pleasure to say that Open Mike Eagle’s latest album, A Tape Called Component System with the Auto Reverse is not only on par with his most solid work, but it’s also a triumphant return to the head of a sub-genre he founded. The album is a uniquely nostalgic recreation of analog cassette stylings, with muffled, fuzzy production and muttered, lo-fi lyricism. It’s a love letter to the self-made mixtapes that dominated Sony Walkmans in a bygone era, and while the songs certainly embody that collage aesthetic, the entire project manages to move with an immersive cohesion. Both the production and feature lists boast some ear-pricking collaborators by the likes of Quelle Chris, Madlib, mother-freaking Diamond D on the boards, Armand Hammer, R.A.P. Ferreira, and mother-freaking Aesop Rock coming in with the lyrical assist. 

For the most part, though, Component System is an experience that places Mike front and center, and sees him carry the spotlight with the lackadaisical, biting charisma that only he can muster. It was released on his own record label (aptly titled Auto Reverse), offering a chance for Mike’s creativity to run even more free. The stories on these songs are very much his, and any and all of the ‘90s nostalgia comes strictly through his lens and experiences, such as sampled snippets from a college radio station Mike listened to back in the day, which appear intermittently throughout the album. It’s startlingly personal, but Mike’s personal insights are so apt that they offer food for thought for anyone who cares to listen, regardless of how much they relate to what’s being discussed.

At first, Component System makes it a little hard to get your bearings. “The Song with the Secret Name” kicks things off in a dizzying barrage of distorted chimes and symphonic swells, with Open Mike Eagle sing-rapping over it in a way that’s just barely on beat. By the time the “TDK Scribbled Intro” interlude is done, and he says, “I don’t always have the words for the feelings / So I decided to make you a tape,” you’re already pretty settled into this lowkey hodge-podge of melancholy madness, and ready for whatever comes next. 

The rest of the tracklist unfurls rather unceremoniously, but nearly every song features an instantly memorable beat paired with at least five quotables each, so nothing ever feels like it’s going in one ear and out the other. It’s a dense project, that’s for sure, but one of Open Mike Eagle’s strongest strengths here is making that density an inviting visit that deserves multiple re-listens to decipher. The single “I’ll Fight You,” produced by the DITC crew legend Diamond D, features some of the hardest drum-work on the entire album, which of course means that Mike is rapping with his most lowkey delivery. As with the Art Rap decree of that first 2010 album, the middle-of-the-road is certainly a place where he doesn’t sound comfortable, and that makes it all a delight to behold.

“I Retired Then I Changed My Mind” offers an almost voyeuristic peek behind the industry curtain, and features Mike breaking down the major milestones of his career thus far with a familiarity that feels nothing less than friendly with the listener. The image of taking selfies under a billboard with his face on it in the hopes of getting noticed is just so specific that it’s impossible not to enjoy it to some extent. This is followed by “Burner Account”, a Quelle Chris produced affair featuring the increasingly iconic duo Armand Hammer (Billy Woods and ELucid). As with most of Chris’ productions, the beat is a dizzying collage of high frequency whines and tightly looped percussion chops, but the three veteran Art Rappers make riding it seem like light work.

“For Doom” is a notable detour in the tracklist, and sees Mike taking just a few minutes to pay his respects to underground rap legend MF DOOM who passed away in 2020. It’s an incredibly touching display of poeticism on Mike’s part, and he breaks down his experiences collaborating with and idolizing DOOM in a way that not only honors the late great MC, but also highlights just how much of his innovation lives in Mike’s music. The production here is muddy and hard to distinguish, but a mournful chorus carries the melody and backs up Mike’s rapping makes barely two minutes feel deeply cathartic. RIP DOOM.
By the time underground legend Aesop Rock makes an appearance towards the tail-end of the project, it feels like Open Mike Eagle has more than re-earned his status as an Art Rap elite. A Tape Called Component System with the Auto Reverse is a nostalgia trip rooted in the present with a ‘90s throwback drenched in the aftermath of 2020 quarantines. It’s not a contradiction, because it’s simply an unadulterated collection of exactly what Open Mike Eagle feels and wants to say about his feelings, and we’re lucky that it just so happens to be creative, well-written, and well-paced to boot.