MIKE: Showbiz! Review

Teetering on a jump to Columbia Records in late-1955 and mid-to-late-1956, Miles Davis entered the studio with his second great quintet to fulfill his contract with Prestige Records across three marathon sessions. The subsequent albums, Miles, Cookin’, Relaxin’, Workin’, and Steamin’, were released between 1955 and 1961. They were intersped between some of Davis’ most recognizable records, including 1959’s Kind of Blue

Davis isn’t the only artist to prove quantity can possibly equate quality. Between September 2015 and 2015, Young Thug released three tapes in the Slime Season series, which compiled music from a slew of leaking sessions dating as early as 2014. Whether it’s Stevie Wonder’s particular creative fertility between 1972’s Music of My Mind and 1976’s Songs in the Key of Life, DMX’s unthinkable debut trilogy in 1998 and 1999, or, more recently, billy woods’ deeply productive renaissance in the 2020’s, there is an established induction of musicians who simply cannot stop into their respective hall of fames. For reasons spanning the material, financial, and artistic realities, there has been a long lineage of musicians, especially Black musicians, flooding the world with the masses of legendary material. 

Though active in the New York underground since the late 2010’s, the current decade has seen MIKE hit a stride unlike any other hot streak burning now. On top of six projects, he’s built an empire with 10k global, his label that has propped up underground superstars like Niontay, Anysia Kim, Sideshow, and many more. What was considered a slow year in 2024 (which only saw the brief Tony Seltzer collaboration Pinball) was preceded by a dizzying 10 month period that included Beware of the Monkey, Faith is a Rock (a collaboration between MIKE, Wiki, and The Alchemist), dr. grabba, the jungle record released under his dj blackpower moniker, and his magnum-opus-so-far Burning Desire

Boiling Showbiz! down as more of the same would be a disservice to the music and the artist though. The similarities across records like Burning Desire and Showbiz! are more trademark than duplication. Burning Desire was packed to the brim with danceable yet jagged material that could find its way to the dancefloor if left to the right hands. Contrarily, Showbiz! buries its groove. The record kicks off with a series of drumless material, a comfortable niche for MIKE. When the music does become more active, it’s still felt as an echo of the dancefloor; “Showbiz! (Intro),” which anachronistically appears sixth-to-last on the record, feels like it’s two steps away from bursting into a brilliant garage house track, especially with its moving funk bassline, though the entire instrumental never boils beyond its filters. 

Accentuated on Showbiz! is the producer-first mentality MIKE has approached his last few solo projects with. Instrumentals are often given the room to properly breathe underneath spoken word portions or on extended outros. His raps are audibly shaped around the curvature of his samples, breathing life into pockets of the music only its maker could suscitate. On “man in the mirror,” MIKE prances methodically around the swirling funk jam instrumental, whereas “Then we could be free.” finds MIKE taking a looser flow to his short verse before letting the groove take center stage. 

The producer-first perspective is especially notable the few times another producer is behind the board. “Zombie pt 2,” which is produced by Brainfeeder’s Salami Joe Rose Louis, sees much more patterned raps. “Belly 1,” produced by Surf Gang’s harrison, is one of the album’s most sonically distinctive tracks and sees MIKE take on a similarly straightforward approach to the rumbling beat. 

No above qualifier distinguishes MIKE’s rapping on Showbiz! as subpar or even predictable. Lyrically, MIKE is still dense and snappy, swimming between memories of grief and boasts of sovereignty and success, hence the central themes of the record. Whereas “Artist of the Century” recounts his hustle over an unconventional set of beats and melodies in a method that makes you believe the titular claim, “You’re the Only One Watching” hones the lingering grief for his mother; “when I pray, I pray for Gaza and for Tigray, When I pray, I pray to mama, know she miss MIKE.”

Regardless of attempted tracking and categorization, Showbiz! is a sprawling record of varied sounds, attitudes, themes, and ideas. Just in its first moments, there’s more to chew on than on some full length records. “Bear Trap” opens with a patient drumless beat that could be found on a Roc Marciano record before moving into a hauntological pseudo-Kaytranada instrumental. The record moves effortlessly with unthinkable sounds utilized as melodic and rhythmic catalysts. It all comes to a searing close with “Broke (Diamonds Dancing),” a swirling canvas of sampledelia packed to the brim with filtered samples, strung out voices, and disparate melodic lines. The stoned Elysia Crampton-esque moment deserves longer and poses an aesthetic direction MIKE would be apt to pursue, but the final triad struck on a guitar, a dissonant minor 2nd, rests nicely in the ashes of the record, which burned with insatiable flames

Already additionally promised in 2025 is Pompeii, a mixtape to be produced by Surf Gang. A spring tour will see MIKE play 70 shows in just twelve weeks. More likely than not, Young World will return for a fifth year to Brooklyn’s Herbert Von King Park in the summer heat. Unlike the frantic hustle of rappers a few years his junior, MIKE’s career has been slowly, consistently, and intelligently built over the course of a decade. Consistently releasing music that not only highlights his immense talent but also his careful study and grounded ear, MIKE has reached the top floor that many reach for but cannot grab. At the top, aggressive expansion is an inevitable sight. 

Graphic by Xanthe Massey