Open Mike Eagle’s Comedy Central Series The New Negroes Gets April Premiere Date

Rap artist Open Mike Eagle’s forthcoming Comedy Central series with comedian Baron Vaughn has been slated for an April 19 debut on Comedy Central and BET. The series, titled The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle, aims to combine stand-up sets and musical performances, with new songs and music videos by Open Mike Eagle and various musical guests released alongside the show each week. It gets its name from the 1925 book by Alain Locke titled The New Negro.

“That book was a collection of essays, poetry, fiction, and music from a generation of emerging artists credited with launching the Harlem Renaissance. It was a place where black people could define themselves instead of being defined by others,” Vaughn and Eagle said in a statement. “Our show aspires to do the same with stand-up comedy, music, and music videos. We’re paying homage to that original movement by inviting comedians and musicians to do what they do best: speak.”

The show has already built up an impressive slate of confirmed guests, including a guest appearance by Eagle’s college friend Hannibal Buress; stand-up from Chris Redd, Donnell Rawlings, Lil Rel Howery, Sasheer Zamata, Dulcé Sloan, George Wallace and Sam Jay; and performances by the Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man, MF Doom, Danny Brown, Phonte, Lizzo, Father and Sammus. Madlib produced the show’s theme song.

Open Mike Eagle’s last full-length album Brick Body Kids Still Daydream came out in 2017 to wide critical acclaim. Since then, he’s put out an EP titled What Happens When I Try to Relax, and a collaborative single with 2 Mello and Inverse Phase called “Beatdown City (We Gon’ Whup Yo’ Ass!).”

Watch the trailer for The New Negroes With Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle below, and revisit Open Mike Eagle’s 2017 Daytrotter Session further down.