“There’s no post-credits sting. We can all just head out.” That’s the refrain from Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal’s latest single “Watching A Movie Called Freedom By Myself.” I doubt we should interpret that line literally. Likewise, it’s not solely about watching Cuba Gooding Jr.’s 2014 film Freedom solo, in which he escapes enslavement via Underground Railroad. Or at least it’s not only about that. The idea of “freedom” here feels more conceptual, as does the “movie.” Open Mike Eagle excels at allegory, and he has found a fitting example of it here.
The long-standing collaboration between the underground rap figure Open Mike Eagle and the supremely talented producer Kenny Segal is about to yield their first joint album, Doomed!, scheduled for release next month. We previously highlighted the striking lead track “Unfinished Concrete Initials,” featuring Hemlock Ernst, the rap alter-ego of Samuel T. Herring, the frontman of Future Islands. The record partially reflects the end of OME’s most recent relationship, a breakup that, clearly, didn’t come with a post-credits moment—metaphorically or otherwise.
Watching A Movie Called Freedom By Myself unfolds as a diffuse, sprawling six-minute piece, with Open Mike Eagle voicing his lyrically despondent vexation through measured fatigue. The restrained, jazz-tinged backdrop is really beautiful, and Segal has a stretch toward the end to let the groove breathe. The video was directed by Elise Valderrama, showing OME observing his breakup unfold on screen, framed as a grayscale, melodramatic cinema. Watch it below.
Doomed! is released on 8/14, with Backwoodz handling the label and physical distribution through Rhymesayers/Secretly.
