Los Angeles’ long-running Project Blowed community has been heating back up of late. Scene O.G. Aceyalone recently shared stately videos for “Pass the Hint” and “Leanin’ on Slick,” and indie-rap poster-boy Busdriver just dropped his raving mad remix of Migo’s inescapable “Versace.” Now the Hellfyre Club imprint run by Nocando is prepping the release of Dorner vs. Tookie, a mixtape that will amass the talents of like-minded MCs and producers under a name that at least seems to pit the founder of the Crips against the LAPD officer who went postal on his former department-mates.
The first taste of the project can be heard below, as hard-hustling Blowdian Open Mike Eagle debuts his “Qualifiers,” a humble-brag of the most stylish order. Over a bubbling soft-focus score provided by Taco Neck, Mike delivers the declamatory hook: “We the best mostly, sometimes the freshest rhymers / We the tightest kinda, respect my qualifiers.” Elsewhere he sing-raps about playing Words With Friends, manages to turn “Dave Brubeck” into a punchline, and shouts out our friend Serengeti. Recommended for fans of Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap. After all, Eagle was born in Chicago.
Dorner vs. Tookie will come as a free download and limited-edition cassette tape in October, and will also feature contributions from Nocando, Busdriver, Milo, Verbs, Rheteric, Taurus Scott, the Kleenerz, and Flash Bang Grenada. Open Mike Eagle will soon be on the road with Stones Throw MC Homeboy Sandman and, eventually Jel, who recently premiered his dubwise boom-bap dream “Late Pass” right here. Dates after “Qualifiers.”
Open Mike Eagle tour dates:
August 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Airliner (Low End Theory)*
August 29 – Yuma, AZ @ The Basement / Inca Lanes*
August 30 – Tempe, AZ @ Stray Cat*
August 31 – Albuquerque, NM @ Chill Factory*
September 1 – Santa Fe, NM @ Warehouse 21*
September 3 – El Paso, TX @ The Percolator*
September 4 – Austin @ The North Door*
September 5 – San Antonio, TX @ 502 Bar*
September 6 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tomcats*
September 7 – Fayetteville, AR @ Smoke and Barrel Tavern*
September 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Blank Space*
September 12 – Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree*
September 13 – Atlanta Booked @ 529*
September 14 – Jacksonville, FL @ 1904*
September 15 – Orlando, FL @ Bikkuri Lounge*
September 16 – Charlotte, NC @ Knocturnal at Snug Harbor*
September 30 – Portland, Maine @ The Space+
October 1 – Boston, MA @ Middle East+
October 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory+
October 5 – Middletown, CT @ Wesleyan College+
October 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s+
October 8 – Washington, DC @ DC9+
October 9 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ Vassar College+
October 10 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery+
October 11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks+
* w/ Homeboy Sandman and Mega Ran
+ w/ Jel, Serengeti, and Sole
