Album Of The Week: MIKE Showbiz!

The first time many of us heard about MIKE, we were listening to Earl Sweatshirt's Some Rap Songs in 2018. On "Nowhere2go," Earl raps, "I be with MIKE and Med, nowadays I be with Sage and sixpress?" At first I thought this was a throwaway line, perhaps referencing Mike G along with Medhane, Navy Blue, and Adé Hakim. As the album continued and I heard another shoutout on "The Mint," with Earl claiming, "I was in the kitchen with that n**** MIKE," I was forced to ask myself, who is MIKE?

The New York rapper has spent the intervening years answering that question for more and more people. If you're reading this, chances are you've already encountered MIKE by now — if not upon the 2017 release of MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE, most likely after 2021's Disco!, and undoubtedly via his 2023 collaboration with Wiki and the Alchemist, Faith Is A Rock. Despite doing nothing to court a broad mainstream audience — or maybe because of that resolute dedication to his own crossover-resistant style — he's remained such a critical darling that it's hard to imagine a world where we collectively dislike him.

MIKE is a lovable Lotso bear, bearing the various insignias of a childhood spent across Hackney, London and Philadelphia. He spent the later years of his adolescence in the Bronx, and he's since become the new face of New York's underground hip-hop tradition. He's a freedom fighter with no mask, unless of course you're thinking of Burning Desire’s narrative depicting African tradition. His words and delivery inspire trust, and his mononymous moniker brings him even closer in conversation. MIKE's a rapper, but to his listeners, he's more of a friend that speaks to us candidly and intimately.

Amidst the smiles, hopefulness, and prayers that rooted his last solo record, 2023's Burning Desire, MIKE has spent the last year focused on developing his versatility. On his last release, 2024's Pinball with fellow New Yorker and producer Tony Seltzer, MIKE swapped storytelling for a low-stakes high-reward exhibition in plugg, New York trap, and cloud rap. Less of an album and more of a MIKE mixtape, the project furthered the impressionist's visibility before refining the sound he attempts on this week's Showbiz! The new album further expands MIKE's palette; "Belly 1," co-produced by Harrison from SURF GANG, spins his sound into the New York collective's world of ambient electronica, perhaps previewing MIKE and SURF GANG's upcoming full-length.

Showbiz! wrestles with the idea of a glass ceiling. MIKE has been praised for his pen, his social activism, and a consistent work ethic that has allowed for a nearly flawless six-album run. His rap collective, sLUms, put the New York rapper alongside Adé Hakim, King Carter, Darryl Johnson, and Jodi.10k, but after becoming the clear standout, how does MIKE break through regional success and internet forums into broader cultural consciousness?

The scripts of Showbiz! mimic that of 2021's Disco! The new album takes on the impassioned mark of someone who's found peace, and alternatively, their role in life. The exclamation point serves as a measure of self-growth and determination — a declaration that "I am here!" and "I'm not going anywhere!" Where Disco! moved to the rhythm of carefree dancefloors, Showbiz! absorbs an era of influence with his use of lounge music records, pitching up neglected soul singles, and ultimately creating his own style of musique concrète.

The sound collage swallows the lyrics and Showbiz! takes on its own voice. Under his producer alias, dj blackpower, MIKE arranges the samples so that he speaks vicariously through the music. On "Then we could be free…" the sample even harmonizes with MIKE, supporting him like three backup singers onstage at Cheerio's on Leimert Boulevard. Much like Hollywood and hip-hop, jazz is embedded into Showbiz! "The weight (2k20)" finds MIKE rapping too close to a muffled microphone against the calamity of bebop, complete with the hiss of a ride cymbal and a trumpeter moving up and down scales. The cacophony of jazz transforms into funk and Motown soul, as "Strange Feeling" channels the spirit of a drowsy Marvin Gaye, bolstered by R&B background singers crooning a countermelody.

"Da Roc" challenges the standards of neo-masculinity with an anonymous voicemail from a fan claiming he'll always love MIKE and he doesn't care if he's "glazing." MIKE demonstrates his music's personal impact while also showcasing how deep parasocial relationships are often dismissed as homoerotic infatuation. He disavows the self-consciousness that comes with new-age fandom, recognizing that when you create such affecting music, people will listen to your songs repeatedly to connect with them on a spiritual level. MIKE's prolific output contributes to a fervent stan culture; that said, Showbiz! is the first time in recent memory when his catalog teeters on the brink of bloat. There are a handful of amorphous tracks like "Lucky" that might reward repeat listens but don't necessarily inspire it.

Much like MIKE's previous projects, Showbiz! is etched with personal growth, both sonically and spiritually. Steadfast in his raps, songs like "artist of the century" point at the sacrifice of continuing a career in hip-hop, repeating the critique: "The prize isn't much, but the price is abundant." The sample describes a supposedly fragile mental state, with presumably a doctor remarking that the subject has "severe anxiety" and is "attempting to treat [the] condition by working on sunday afternoons to avoid confronting condition." The jazz tune meanders as one song wraps up and another begins, but MIKE embraces his torn psyche. A standout line on "Lost Scribe" alludes to the reclamation of MIKE's body image after spending years feeling "shorter in size" after continuously hearing himself be called "big."

Surprisingly, the portion of Showbiz! that zeroes in on show business feels a bit forced. Although the metaphor of a "Burning House" may have worked on Burning Desire, the track feels a bit insensitive, especially for a rapper who's known to be a voice for the displaced and underrepresented. With fires still burning through Los Angeles, the true home of showbiz, MIKE should have considered removing that one from the tracklist, especially since it doesn't directly tie into the album's themes. "Burning House" goes into "Showbiz (intro)," where MIKE raps in double-time as if soloing at a North Hollywood jazz club. He's flexing while ignoring the state of the city he calls to mind, especially as he self-affirms: "Even west, every coast with me."

The moment inevitably passes after a couple of songs and the New York rapper refocuses towards lo-fi IDM beats, where MIKE's signature monotonous tone guides the music towards a trance-like meditative state on "Spun Out." His adaptability is on full display. He winds down into R&B with Duendita's syrupy feature on "Miss U," and he once again retains the crown of a tenured storyteller on "When It Rains," mumbling about the push and pull required within romantic relationships.

MIKE ambiguously closes the album with "Broke (Diamonds Dancing)," a song that sends Showbiz! off into the ether of the internet like a dandelion dispersing into the wind. He leaves us with a sample of a lethargic voice muttering about change as crystalline synths and a computerized choir usher in the end. "Broke" sounds like a Joji vaporwave remix; it's the furthest thing from a traditional MIKE song, and that's because he's no longer "broke." He's "diamonds dancing" to hypnagogic pop. Just as he teased on the instrumental outro of "artist of the century," a verse is no longer necessary. With Showbiz!, MIKE has proved that he’s more than just a rapper.

Showbiz! is out 1/31 on 10k.

Other albums of note out this week:
• The Weeknd's Hurry Up Tomorrow
• Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's The Purple Bird
• New Ty Segell band Freckle's Freckle
• Pink Siifu's BLACK'!ANTIQUE
• Damon Locks' List Of Demands
• Geologist & D.S.'s A Shaw Deal
• FearDorian's Leaving Home
• Lilly Hiatt's Forever
• L.S. Dunes' Violet
• numün's opening
• EST Gee's I Ain’t Feeling You
• Lil Durk's Deep Thoughts
• Pentagram's Lightning In A Bottle
• Tyga's Not Safe For Work
• Decius' Decius Vol. II (Splendour & Obedience)
• Maribou State's Hallucinating Love
• Ebo Taylor's EBO TAYLOR JID022
• Circa Waves' Death & Love Pt. 1
• Eddie Chacon's Lay Low
• Eterna's Debunker
• Rontronik's Zero Nine
• Prison’s Downstate
• Intermission's Power Corrupts
• moe.'s Circle Of Giants
• Gary Kemp's This Destination
• Chris Harms' 1980
• The Laughing Chimes' Whispers In The Speech Machine
• Rosa Bordallo's Isidro
• Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains' Âge Fleuve
• Jaye Jayle's After Alter
• Touch Heaven's ASKYSOBLACK
• Jonathan Hultén's Eyes Of The Living Night
• Cymande's Renascence
• Causier's It’s Deeper Than I Thought
• Delta IV's Radium Arc
• Sarah Belle Reid + Vinny Golia's Accidental Ornithology
• Shrapnel's Sedan Crater
• Thomas Erak & The Ouroboros's (AU)
• All That Remains' Antifragile
• Lawrence English's Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds
• Grayscale's The Hart
• Ludovico Einaudi's The Summer Portraits
• Julian Wasserfuhr's Safe Place
• Amaia's Si abro los ojos no es real
• Utopia Now's Acquainted With The Night
• Volker Goetze's Little Big Top
• Penny And Sparrow's Lefty
• Kim Wilde's Closer
• The Night Flight Orchestra's Give Us The Moon
• Neon Union's Good Years
• The Ancients' The Ancients
• Joe McPhee's I'm Just Say'n
• Various artists' Home Free soundtrack
• Canty's Dim Binge
• The Kearns Family's Together And Alone
• Asa Horvitz / Carmen Quill / Ariadne Randall / Wayne Horvitz's Ghost
• Cut The Kids In Half's What We Became
• Saliva's Revelation : Retold
• IC3PEAK's Coming Home
• TheCityIsOurs' Will You Still Love Me?
• Terence Nance's V O R T E X +
• The Walters' Good Company
• Falsely Accused's Unbroken
• JPEGMAFIA's I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (DIRECTOR'S CUT)
• Peel Dream Magazine's Modern Meta Physic (Deluxe Edition)
• Sierra Ferrell's Trail Of Flowers deluxe
• Slow Pulp's Moveys (Deluxe Edition)
• Vashti Bunyan's Lookaftering - Expanded Edition
• War's Live In Japan 1974
• My Wonderful Boyfriend's An Evening With... EP
• omilgop's funeral EP
• Rabbitology's Living Ghost EP
• horsegiirL's V.I.P (very important pony) EP