The Art of Reconciliation in Rap
How Malice of the Clipse and the California rapper-producer Open Mike Eagle use self-acceptance as a guide on their latest albums
Reconciliation in hip-hop means different things to different people. Some rappers spend their entire careers plumbing the depths of their minds searching for peace or penance; others might look to justify unpleasant memories, or the rewards that came from overcoming them. Many of my favorite MCs aren’t necessarily the ones who come out on top of whatever struggles they face; they tend to be the ones who confront their personal wins and losses, or the state of the world around them, honestly and openly, with the fear or hope of doing it all again tomorrow. That type of self-awareness is integral to growth as an artist and a human being, and is increasingly crucial as rap moves beyond its first 50 years and generates more and more older participants.
Recently, I’ve been stuck on the reconciliatory work of two rappers—Malice, one-half of the Virginia duo Clipse with his brother Pusha T, and California-via-Chicago rapper-producer Open Mike Eagle. Both are veterans of their respective scenes, artists who’ve shuffled between labels, trends, and industry bullshit, and come out as creative and reflective writers willing to sling wisdom and a joke or two at whoever’s listening. Their respective latest projects, Clipse’s comeback, Let God Sort Em Out, and Mike’s 10th studio album, Neighborhood Gods Unlimited, find them at a crossroads, working through trauma and conflicting interests in their pursuits of rap glory.
