Open Mike Eagle’s latest video may seem like a proselytizing infomercial peddling cheaply made wares,
but “Hymnal” takes on a far deeper message. The final visuals off his recent project, Brick Body Kids Still
Daydream features New York MC Sammus, and although they both spit a serious tale, neither take
themselves too seriously.

In the Brent Bishop-directed video, Mike as “Dr. Alobar Crowley” and Sammus as “Lucinda Simmons
Crowley” showcase the perks of the ministry via jewels, watches, and prayer cards, all of which are for
sale. With the cliché backdrops of clouds against blue skies, released doves and stained glass, the set is
televangelist’s dream. Using a delicate flow, Mike poetically breaks down the hypocrisies of the
institution in the lighthearted manner that he has perfected. Sammus isn’t so gentle, however. Her
verse provides a hard contrast via sharper metaphors and direct wit.

Here’s The Story Of How Mello Music Group Defiantly Built A Haven For Real Hip-Hop (Interview)

Mike’s fifth solo LP (available for stream below) dropped in September on Mello Music Group and has since been touted by some as one of the year’s best albums. The conceptual LP tells the tale of a young man growing up in the now-demolished Chicago public housing project, Robert Taylor Homes. The very same place that Mike spent his childhood. Although the Project Blowed alum is now living in Los Angeles, the wounds of that demolition of his adolescent home and resulting displacement of its residents are still fresh. Especially since it mirrors similar injustices that are only recently becoming more widely acknowledged.

Much like how Mike has carved out his own, self-coined, Art Rap lane, Sammus has made brains sound good with her own branding as a Fly Nerd. And simply, the pair are meant to work together. Don’t write this off as just a funny video, hard truths are often more digestible when they’re told in jest.

Open Mike Eagle Exposes His Addiction To Something We All Cherish (Audio)

#BonusBeat: A full, free stream of Open Mike Eagle’s Brick Body Kids Still Daydream:

In addition to Sammus, the album features Has-Lo.