The LA-based underground rap veteran Open Mike Eagle is extremely good at making funny, complex, life-affirming rap records and at talking about rap history on podcasts. The man works hard. Less than a year ago, he released his mixtape Component System With The Auto Reverse. Today, he’s announced plans to follow that one with an album-length project called Another Triumph Of Ghetto Engineering, and he’s teamed up with a bunch of old friends on first single “WFLD 32.”

Open Mike Eagle was college buddies with Hannibal Buress, the great stand-up comic and actor who recently started releasing music under the name Eshu Tune. (I really like his “Veneers” remix with Danny Brown and Paul Wall.) But Buress has been playing around with rap for a long time, and he’s collaborated with Open Mike Eagle a few times; I’m a big fan of their 2014 track “Doug Stamper (Advice Raps).”

On “WFLD 32,” Open Mike Eagle trades verses with Hannibal Buress, rapping under his Eshu Tune alter-ego, and with OME’s longtime collaborators Still Rift and Video Dave. (Both of them were on OME’s Madlib-produced track “Circuit City” last year.) The track was produced by Kenny Segal, the man who recently teamed up with billy woods for the truly excellent Maps album. They all sound casually great together.

Another Triumph Of Ghetto Engineering also features appearances from underground rap greats Young Zee and Blu. In a press release, Open Mike Eagle says, “In the ghetto, we never stop toiling! These songs are all fancy ways of saying ‘fuck you’ to people that ignore us and ‘thank you’ to people that care if we live or die! Pay close attention to the song titles! This is another triumph of ghetto engineering! I took that cover photo. Thats my mama’s hand!” Below, check out “WFLD 32,” the album’s tracklist, and Open Mike Eagle’s tour dates.

TRACKLIST:
01 “I bled on stage at first rave”
02 “BET’s rap city” (Feat. Young Zee)
03 “a new rap festival called falling loud”
04 “the grand prize game on the bozo show” (Feat. Video Dave & Still Rift)
05 “we should have made other ground a thing”
06 WFLD 32″ (Feat. Eshu Tune, Still Rift, & Video Dave)
07 “the wire s3 e1” (Feat. Blu)
08 “dave said these are the liner notes”
09 “mad enough to aim a pyramid at you”

TOUR DATES:
8/16 – Lansing, MI @ Hall 224
8/17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
8/18 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
8/19 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl
8/20 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
8/21 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
8/22 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Tavern
8/23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
8/24 – Charleston, NC @ Music Farm
8/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Hell at The Masquerade
8/26 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers
8/27 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
8/29 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
8/31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Resident Head
9/01 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad

Another Triumph Of Ghetto Engineering is out 8/25 on Auto Reverse. Check out our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Hannibal Buress here.