New York, NY · hip-hop · abstract-rap

MIKE

1 upcoming festival

Slurred, meditative rap over his own woozy loops — grief processed at half speed, underground New York's quiet center of gravity.

MIKE is the rapper and producer Michael Bonema, based in New York and a key figure in the loose underground scene that also produced Earl Sweatshirt, Navy Blue and members of the sLUms collective. He produces much of his own material under the name dj blackpower, working with slowed, filtered soul and jazz samples and drums that sit deliberately loose behind the beat.

His delivery is low and conversational, often mixed close to the level of the instrumental. Records including Tears of Joy, Weight of the World, Disco! and Beware of the Monkey deal with grief following his mother's death, family, and the routines of daily life, and he also runs the 10k label.

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