Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes

Chicago’s Open Mike Eagle is a laugh-to-keep-from-crying kind of guy, and on his 2011 sophomore album, *Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes*, hilarious one-liners sit alongside sharp social commentary and heavy personal reflection. Over pointedly lo-fi beats that draw from left-field indietronica, Mike reminisces on his childhood as a nerd who grew up in the projects (“In my class, kids overdosed/But I was in the back reading Blackbeard”) and examines his status in the rap ecosystem, calling himself “the smartest broke dude ever” on “Rent Party Revolution.” And on the sparse title track, he grapples with the rap industry’s obsession with youth, and what that means for his aging hip-hop heroes.