Open Mike Eagle's Hella Personal Film Festival & Chester Watson's Past Cloaks

Chairman's Choice
Words: Chairman Mao
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of of XXL Magazine, on stands now.

Though technically still a teenager, Chester Watson is already prolific enough to warrant a Best Of. Actually, think of Past Cloaks (POW Recordings) as more like a Best Of so far.

Its 19 tracks were culled from a pair of previous releases  (including 2014’s double LP Tin Wooki) and individual SoundCloud slices. It all holds together pretty impressively, unified by Watson’s contagiously circuitous flow and smoky vocals. They’re tools he’s clearly honed under the influence of stylistic touchstones Earl Sweatshirt, DOOM (check “Creed’s” Villain-y cadence) and Madlib (see the slowed down/inverted Quasimoto vox of “Fantastic”).

But Cloak’s best moments take place when Watson’s expressing the varied emotions of young adulthood—on “Trident” tentatively urging his mom to give his burgeoning rap career her blessings and on “Wicked” exclaiming with stoner bravado, “I’m pretty fresh you can’t belittle my placement/Looking for some fucks to give but don’t know where I placed ’em.”

Open Mike Eagle’s work on the  other hand, suggests that reaching proper adulthood only cultivates more neuroses. As with past efforts his latest LP, Hella Personal Film Festival (Mello Music Group), a collab with talented U.K. producer Paul White, finds him nearly rhyming from the therapy couch, sharing equal parts clever/ illuminating thoughts like in “Admitting the Endorphin Addiction.” “Rap music has ruined me/I always want to loop my favorite part.” Self-consciously emo, he lampoons his complicated relationship with his own self-esteem in the “Dang Is Invincible” chronicle of small daily triumphs, and examines our collective obsession with staying plugged-in with “Check to Check’s” acrobatic wordplay. The discussion of stereotyping and racial profiling is memorably demonstrated in “Smiling.”

Mike’s ability to pivot from personal insecurities to societal maladies is also uncanny. And when he declares, “I’m just trying to build a bridge for my goddamn kid/So the first time if ever his reputation slid/It could actually be for something that he did,” the wisdom in his worrying is profound.

RECOMMENDED: WILLIE EVANS JR. The Crush EP (High Water Music) MR. LIF FT. BLACASTAN “Whizdom” (Mello Music Group)

Check out more from XXL’s Spring 2016 issue including Big Sean’s cover story, the Letter from the Editor, Macklemore’s thoughts on White privilege, Kodak Black’s Show & Prove interview, Doin’ Lines with Boosie BadAzz, Flatbush Zombies’ serious comic addiction, the producer behind Desiigner’s hit “Panda,” Plies’ career boost thanks to Instagram and more.