MIKE is a quintessential old soul. The 25-year-old artist’s wisdom is evident in both his calm delivery and measured questioning, even if he doesn’t always understand the depth of his words until they’re written. “All of these random ideas come to my head, but always end up making sense after it’s done,” the NY-based rapper-producer says about his method. Known for introspective, subtly profound rhymes that explore grief, family, and identity, and melt over muffled, soul-seasoned samples, on his expansive new record Burning Desire MIKE reaches new heights far above the sonic foundation he laid with his previous project. 

Rap’s youngest old soul, MIKE ascended like subway steam, from underground wizkid to bonafide VIP. Cutting the edge of mid-teens dotcom rap with his [sLUms] collective, the mellifluous emcee born Michael Jordan Bonema, spun tops with his featherweight flow and world-weary rhymes. Breakout May God Bless Your Hustle was a gargantuan flex, and he keeps raising the bar. Burning Desire. Links with The Alchemist, Tony Seltzer, Sister Nancy and Earl Sweatshirt. Building community with his annual Brooklyn festival, Young World.

As producer dj blackpower, MIKE has armed himself with a tapestry of ancestral sound built upon repurposed material, from soulful cuts to archival motifs. The ethos of dj blackpower shows up throughout episodes of IFE Radio, an ecosystem of black sound (Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, Yesterday’s New Quintet) he hosts, featuring guest conversations and sets from artists like duendita and Frank Dorrey.