March 29, 2024
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Open Minded (2023 Update)

OMP Headshots
Open Minded - "Wazer Wifle"

Juggalos! Juggalettes! Open Minded freaks of the night! It’s your boy BeZerkaveli, and once again I’m back to bring you some forgotten freshness to refamiliarize your earholes with. I’d like to wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day, whether you be alone with your blow up wifey or your flesh and blood wifey, husband, life partner, whatever label you may manifest. May it be full of Faygo showers and fat bitches!

I don’t know if some of you guys know, but I’ve actually been doing this segment for FLH for over ten years, and in this journey; I’ve come across a lot of acts big and small all over this globe. For over a decade, I’ve heard countless artists from the worst juggalo acts to some of the best hip hop artists music has ever seen. I’ve remembered a lot of things, and forgotten twice as much, but if there’s one set of individuals I can’t forget, it’s my bros from my frozen wasteland I like to call home (Minnesota).

Coming from Minnesota, but seen nationwide, Open Minded or also known as Open Minded Productions (OMP) has been around for a long time. I first started fucking with them circa 2011 or so, maybe 2010. It’s been a minute. They’ve gone through a few change of faces, but maybe that’s for the better as they evolve and move forward in this musical endeavor they disembarked on all these years ago.

Open Minded is a blend of musical productivity. They are a big juggalo act, and have been able to perform at the Gathering of the Juggalos, but their style is broad enough to not typecast them as juggalo rappers. Their music can also vary from dark and disturbing to vibrant and bouncy. When you listen to an Open Minded album, you never really know what you’re getting yourself into; you just know you’re going to enjoy it. In my opinion, they really should be a go to for all juggalos who enjoy the scene.

Open Minded currently is going back on tour with another music legend, RA the Rugged Man and Onyx, both emcees have decades in the music industry and have been heavily influential in the underground scene across the world. I know of European artists who credit Onyx as being influences, as well as dirty grimey cats across the planet that bump Poor People by RA. I highly suggest checking one of these shows out. You won’t be disappointed.

So without further ado juggalos, please enjoy this interview. You never know what other goodies and surprises could be in store for you guys. I’m always whipping stuff up behind the scenes, even if you guys aren’t seeing it. Enjoy…

 

Open Minded Rabbit

Rabbit Logo

 

BeZerkaveli : It’s been so many years since we have had an interview, so I’m actually going to start off the interview with the same question I did all those years ago to refresh the juggalos. Why did you guys choose to go with the name Open Minded Productions aka OMP and group name Open Minded?

 

OMP: Well we created OMP (Open Minded Productions) as a way to produce and record whatever we wanted. Any kind of genre, any type of song, filled with whatever content we wanted to talk about. The group name “Open Minded” spawned from getting the opening slot for the ICP “Old Shit Tour,” at First Ave at the very last minute. We had to tell them our group name, and we just blurted out “Open Minded”. Then it stuck, we formed a really solid group, and the rest is history.

 

BeZerkaveli : Where did you guys come up with each of your names?

 

Hatchet Monkey – ‘cuz I go bananas and throw lyrical poo! 

 

MIKilla – It’s a mix of my first and last name (Mike Kellermann) and everyone called me “Killa” in high school. I like puns.

 

BeZerkaveli : Who do you guys consider your musical influences?

 

OMP: Literally a mix of everything. Rap, rock, jazz, funk, even country. Even the people who make music we don’t like, because it inspires us to do better.

 

Streaks

Fancy streaks

 

BeZerkaveli : You guys have been going at this for over ten years. What do you think is your favorite memories from your crazy journey?

 

Hatchet Monkey – Short answer: our first tour, because that was amazing. We went on tour, and we ran into people who already knew about us. It was wild.

 

MIKilla – Randomly finding an abandoned car in OKC while on tour, deciding to film a music video part there, and after our show, having a crowd of people going crazy, jumping and dancing by and on the car. We fucked that thing up! That was a lot of fun. You can see scenes of it in our music video “Space Case”.

 

 

BeZerkaveli : You’ve been able to perform for major acts. Name some of the acts you’ve opened for or toured with.

 

OMP: ICP, Twiztid, Mystikal, Devon the Dude, Prof, R.A. The Rugged Man, A-F-R-O, DJ Paul, POD, Oujia, Lyte, Necrogoblicon, KMK, King Spade, Mayday, Lil White, Hopsin, Esham, Potluck, DGAF, KFV, Stevie Stone, Kutt Kalhoun, Hed PE, Crazy Town, Liquid Assassin, Rittz, Pyshcostick, G Mo Skee, Greives, Dizzy Wright, Ekoh, Madchild, SCUM, Boondox, Twisted Insane, and plenty of other artists nationally and locally. 

Open Minded at the Skyway Theatre featured on the marquee.

 

BeZerkaveli : Which one of those was your favorite, and which or those were maybe not so much of your favorites?

 

OMP: R.A. The Rugged Man’s “All my Heroes are Dead” Tour with A-F-R-O and DJ Super Brown B.U.M. was probably one of the best experiences we have had in music. Got to meet a lot of cool peeps and build some tight bonds. As for the worst experience, all we can say is Lil White was a dick.

 

BeZerkaveli : You’re currently going on a 45 show tour across the country with legends RA the Rugged Man and Onyx. How did that come about?

 

OMP: We put in a HELL OF A LOT OF WORK, dedication to our craft, and making the right connections. So when opportunity presented itself through Leo Presents, we were ready to take it head on. 

Tour Flyer

Bacdafucup Tour Flyer

 

BeZerkaveli : What are you looking forward to most on this tour?

 

Hatchet Monkey – Ninja Turtle Pizza from NYC!!! The kind when you pick up a slice the cheese stretches for a mile! That’s what I’m most excited about! Oh, and of course playing the shows every night.

 

MIKilla – I’m most excited to see and play on the cities we have never been to before. A lot of the South West, and North East. But mainly to see LA and NYC. The two biggest cities in the United States. It’s going to be epic.

 

BeZerkaveli : What should juggalos expect from this tour?

 

OMP: High energy, lyrical madness! Probably one of the most electrifying hip hop shows that will be coming around this year. R.A. and Onyx are two of the best performing acts we have seen. The energy is always high and they bring nothing less than a good time.

 

Outdoor performance

Open Minded performing an outdoor event.

 

BeZerkaveli : You guys had a recent album called Brainstorm. Why don’t you guys tell the juggalos more about this album and why they need to check it out.

 

OMP: This album (Brainstorm) is really dope. It features 20 songs with 30 artists from around the globe. There’s features from some name that Juggalos would find familiar, and even some local cats we know that kill shit. There was a lot of thought put into this album. It took a couple years to get everything just right for it. It also has so many different feels and vibes, it really has a song for everyone.

 

BeZerkaveli : Where can juggalos find Brainstorm?

 

OMP: Everywhere music can be streamed. Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, etc… We have a few music videos on our YouTube page. And physical copies can be bought on our Bandcamp page.

Brainstorm

Brainstorm album cover

BeZerkaveli : Out of all your work, what project do you feel is your favorite?

 

Hatchet Monkey – 1 – Brainstorm, 2 – Frumpy AF, 3 – Shades Of Grey.

 

MIKilla – I would have to agree with Monkey, Brainstorm is definitely my top fave right now. We love that CD. Frumpy AF is so different for us, we just had a lot of fun with it, and those beats are fucking HARD! And Shades of Grey is totally our first true album we put a lot of work into. Still holds up today being 10 years old this year. 

 

BeZerkaveli : You guys have some new merchandise coming out. Do you want to let the juggalos know what they might be able to cop when they drop?

 

OMP: We got Hoodies, T-shirts – multiple styles, bandanas, stickers, and a bunch of CDs!! You can always buy online at our bandcamp page. And also, catching us at live shows or while on tour! We may not have absolutely everything on us while on tour, but we will definitely have plenty of merch.

Another Performance

Open Minded rocking another set

BeZerkaveli : Outside of your up and coming tour, what else is on the horizon for OMP? Any more music videos, solo albums, mixtapes, features, etc coming up?

 

OMP: We will be releasing a brand new music video to the song “Land of 10,000 Screams ft. Mookie The Magician” from the album “Brainstorm” the first day of tour, March 29th. Every Friday while we are on tour, we will be releasing a new single. By the end of the tour, we will put out the “Pretty Damn Good EP” featuring all the songs released while on the road. We do have plans for summer with more music and features, but at the moment we can’t really say too much. Just know that 2023 will have a lot of new stuff from us.

 

BeZerkaveli : If you guys could work with anyone in the industry, who would it be?

 

OMP: Ice Cube, Weird Al, Rob Zombie, Rage Against The Machine/Prophets of Rage, Token, Chris Webby, Tech N9ne… the list could go on! We would want to work with people who we admire and support. Anyone that’s really passionate about their craft. 

 

BeZerkaveli : Before we close this interview, we can’t help but mention the fact you guys have performed at The Gathering of the Juggalos. How was that, and how did that come about?

 

OMP: We have performed at the gathering a few times. Mainly, we submitted our music and they called us up and told us we were on. We have also done the Demo Jam Competition, but we got to 3rd place. As for the experience, it was fucking legit. A total of 4 performances there from us throughout the years, and each one was an absolute blast. The sound is killer, the stages are nice and big, the crowds paying attention (something that doesn’t happen everywhere). The Gatherings are so dope.

All My Heroes Are Dead Tour

Tour Flyer for All My Hereos Are Dead

BeZerkaveli : Is there anything else you guys want the juggalos to know?

 

OMP: We love y’all, and just know we are representing real hip hop out there for y’all. Whoop whoop!

 

Shout outs:

 

Props to United Streets of America for being the coolest people and having the best message, Leo Presents for always having our back, Faygoluvers for giving us the time to talk, the artists who have drawn/designed artwork for us – you guys make us look so much better, DJ Puzzle Cutter for being 110% since day one, all the people in our circle for keeping us sane and healthy in this business, and last but definitely not least, all the fans out there cheering us on, we love you all! Thanks so much for the support. P.s. Uncle Frank – you the Man!!

 

Sliding on out

Open Minded sliding on out of this interview

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