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Rapper Open Mike Eagle Releases 'Anime, Trauma and Divorce' Album
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Rapper Open Mike Eagle released his latest album, Anime, Trauma and Divorce, on October 16. The album includes a number of titles inspired by anime, including "Headass (Idiot Shinji)", a reference to Evangelion's protagonist, and "I'm a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)", a reference to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Speaking to Funimation, Eagle discussed his background as a Black anime fan and shared some of the thought that went into creating these songs.
“I've felt this undeniable connection between specifically the Black American ghetto, and I wish there was a better word for it…” he said. “There's something with marginalized people, people in high-pressure circumstances, there's something about shounen anime that really resonates in those communities.”
The songs "Bucciarati" and "I'm a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)" are both inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. "Bucciarati" is about needing help, changing direction and doubling down on his art, while “I'm a Joestar (Black Power Fantasy)” is about bringing himself into the universe of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and into a family that constantly breaks boundaries.
Meanwhile, “Headass (Idiot Shinji)” draws from the psychological struggles faced by Evangelion's Shinji. "He overthinks everything. He is relentlessly nervous…for my framing, he has created this world where he's the only special guy who can pilot the Eva, because he needs to feel that. There's always this other layer of thought, this other layer of hesitance to connect and to live and to be in the moment. I think that kind of just ‘living in his head’ as he does it is headass-ism.”
In addition to anime, the album has references to comic books and the popular television show Black Mirror.
Open Mike Eagle is an American hip hop artist and comedian. Anime, Trauma and Divorce is his fifth solo studio album.
Source: Funimation Blog
