Hip-Hop music has lengthy suffered from segmentation, pitting sure elements of the scene in opposition to each other in a foolhardy race for relevance. MIKE, one of many main voices within the so-called underground scene, has managed to merge sounds that defy his designation through his sensible new challenge with producer Tony Seltzer, Pinball II.
MIKE is an artist we’ve featured closely in our CRT FRSH playlist roundups, and we’ve talked about him in a couple of AOTY posts through the years. The depth, maturity, and presence of the artist born Michael Bonema are astounding when one learns he’s nonetheless in his 20s.
Wanting again over MIKE’s discography, intentional listeners will acknowledge the expansion from yr to yr, with the rapper-producer’s gruff voice conveying a bevy of feelings. As he rapped on “Tapestry” from his glorious Beware Of The Monkey mixtape, MIKE’s penchant for the “unhappy boogie” throughout his largely self-produced initiatives morphed into deeply analytical and infrequently private accounts of his journey in music, honoring his late mom, uplifting his household title, and ensuring he’s a stable advocate for his associates.
PInball II doesn’t lean into the aesthetic that MIKE normally performs over and produces underneath his dj blackpwr alias. Giving Tony Seltzer the keys for a second time, MIKE permits himself to have enjoyable, boast about his successes, and likewise have a good time his lengthy climb into notoriety. Like their first outing, Seltzer, who has produced for the likes of Wiki, Ski Masks the Droop God, Princess Nokia, and extra, offers MIKE a collection of booming platters of backdrops that permit Massive MIKE to flex.
The album opens with the stage-ready “Sin Metropolis,” which sounds prime for a marching band to replay. MIKE is in prime sh*t discuss mode, shouting out his 10k World brethren Jadasea, Niontay, and redLee. This leads into “Dolemite” that includes Lunchbox, and the hazy, trap-influenced observe is an abrupt shift in power that feels purposeful all the identical.
Seltzer warms issues again up with “#71” with MIKE’s growling timbre sounding at residence over the bouncy manufacturing. At one level, MIKE raps “These n*ggas hardly vicious, however bought conflict paint” with all of the sincerity on this planet, and whereas there’s a smile in his voice, it nonetheless sounds barely menacing.
Pinball II is one thing of a curler coaster journey with slinky grooves like “Golden Dragon” and “Cash & Energy,” permitting MIKE to make use of his highly effective vocal instrument and discover pockets within the beat that the majority rappers can be misplaced making an attempt to find.
Options are stored to a minimal; nonetheless, 10k artist Sideshow exhibits up on the sinister “Hell Date” and as soon as once more, the Washington, D.C. rapper manages to pierce the soul along with his grim outlook and his need to interrupt away from the streets however by no means leaving these parts behnd, a standard theme in Sideshow’s music. The Ethiopian-American lyricist steals the present on the characteristic.
“Shaq & Kobe” as soon as extra pair MIKE with Florida’s Niontay, and their chemistry stays plain. Niontay raps in rushed, slurred bursts, and when juxtaposed in opposition to MIKE’s bass-heavy monotone supply, the distinction of their voices over Seltzer’s warmth rock helps the music soar greater.
If there’s a music that has a sound just like MIKE’s earlier solo works, it could be “Jumanji,” that includes his good friend and previous collaborator, Earl Sweatshirt. Pinball II reaches its apex right here as MIKE once more employs a supply harking back to what he did with Sweatshirt on the observe “SENTRY” from the California rapper’s Voir Dire album, produced by The Alchemist. Sweatshirt, recognized to be a technician, permits himself to let his verses dangle and float with little regard to the rhythm, making it one of the vital refreshing verses we’ve heard from him.
Pinball II will lazily be referred to as “lure,” or no less than say it sounds influenced by that Hip-Hop sub-segment by informal listeners. Upon additional listens, MIKE’s elevated musical productiveness has not dimmed his ardour, contemplating that is his second launch after the stellar Showbiz! album from earlier this yr. As MIKE continues to ascertain his place within the scene he’s poised to lord over for years to return, corny because it comes off, the followers are successful because of this.
Discover Pinball II at your most well-liked DSPs right here.
—
Photograph: 10k/Instagram
