At twenty-two years old, MIKEs age can be deceiving. He is an integral
figure in birthing a new sound and style of hip hop that has gained
wide influence since it first broke in underground circles in 2017,
and MIKEs music itself carries the insight, pain, and fatigue that
often comes with age and long life lived.
Born in New Jersey, MIKE moved to London with his mother before
settling in The Bronx for the remainder of his later teenage years.
Both regions have had an audible influence on the young rappers music
- in England he was immersed in grime and the music of King Krule, and
in the United States he was turned on to Earl Sweatshirt and MF DOOM.
In New York, MIKE connected with several artists who had a similar ear
and style, and formed a collective called [sLUms]. Consisting of Adé
Hakim, Darryl Johnson, King Carter, Jazz Jodi, and DJ Mason, the group
established a unique sound that created waves throughout underground
hip hop circles across the country.
In 2017 MIKE released his mixtape May God Bless Your Hustle. The
project perfectly captured a singular moment in a city where the only
constant is change. With features from Standing on the Corner, Wiki,
Mal Devisa, and more, as well as production from Ade Hakim, Tony
Seltzer, and Austin Williamson of Onyx Collective, May God Bless Your
Hustle was a snapshot of the sound of underground New York rap in
2017. It received a Best New Music review from Pitchfork as MIKE
started to gain international attention outside of New York City.
At the end of 2018 MIKE released his album War In My Pen
independently, and followed it up in mid 2019 with Tears of Joy, his
second album to be selected for Pitchforks Best New Music. He released
his most recent album, Weight of the World, in 2020. Nearly entirely
self-produced, and only containing features from Jadasea and Earl
Sweatshirt, its one of MIKEs most introspective and sonically diverse
releases to date. MIKE has opened tours for Blood Orange and Earl
Sweatshirt, and performed at festivals such as MoMA PS1 Warm Up,
Pitchfork Festival, and Capitol Hill Block Party.
Over the past year MIKE immersed himself in electronic and house
music, listening to artists such as Steve Spacek and Park Hye Jin. He
released two largely instrumental projects partially inspired by these
new influences: BLP2020 King of the Night and BLP2021 for ur own good.
Disco! is the first MIKE release since Weight of the World, and sees
MIKE combine his new style of production with his top tier songwriting
and delivery. The project is at times more upbeat and catchy than his
previous work, but still carries the emotional weight that is
characteristic of MIKEs music. The result is MIKEs most engaging and
interesting body of work to date, as he continues to evolve the style
of rap that he pioneered.
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15/10/2021 Last update