Artist: MIKE
Album: Renaissance Man
Label: Lex Records
Release Date: June 21, 2018
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Background:
People who act older than their age usually do so due to the tragic or life changing circumstances that forced them to grow older. And while his life has not been tragic in the traditional sense, MIKE's lyrics carry the burden of someone who's lived a lifetime. MIKE was introduced to hip-hop music in London after moving there from New Jersey with his mother and two sisters. The move back the USA to live with his father years later proved to be a culture shock for MIKE, as adolescence and separation from his mother (who remained in London and later Nigeria due to paperwork issues) fed into his growing depression. Rapping proved to be faucet for MIKE to vent his issues, and years of projects and hard work finally paid off with the release of May God Bless Your Hustle in 2017. One "Best New Music" from Pitchfork and a wave of interviews later, MIKE and and friends in sLUms decided to go to London to work on new music and reunite MIKE with his mother. They worked with local South-London artists like Fleece Flies and Jadasea and melded a new sound inspired by the youth of the African diaspora. Renaissance Man was the primary result of these sessions, but MIKE created two works which preceded the release of Renaissance Man: resistance man and Black Soap. These three projects form a trilogy that ushered in a rebirth for MIKE and his friends. While MIKE retained his stage name, sixpress, BOOLIEMANE, and King Carter now go by Adé Hakim, Darryl Johnson, and Cheikhuana Bamba Fall respectively.
Before I get into the main topic of discussion, it's important to understand resistance man and Black Soap and how they feed into Renaissance Man.
resistance man
The first and my favorite of the trilogy. The resistance man ep is structured similarly to one of MIKE's previous works, the ones who were made by time, and Earl Sweatshirt's solace: a five track ep of short songs bundled into one long song, two of which are instrumentals. The pursuit of money, fame, and your dreams and their harmful effects are a common theme on this project, shared on the tracks "you've been blessed" and "coin chasa." The production on each of the three tracks with lyrics are similar to the different types of production MIKE has rapped on over the years: "you've been blessed" is sample based and minimalist like the 2016 longest day, shortest night, "coin chasa" has a retro vintage feel like *Black Soap, and "Keep Spinning" is industrial and dreamy like. I could do an entire write up on this EP, but I thought Renaissance Man was more fitting.
Black Soap
As the second project in the trilogy, MIKE describes Black Soap best on its Bandcamp page:
Collection of music written & produced by me & Darryl Johnson. Made with passion, love, and community. Proof that it couldn't be live from nowhere else. Black Soap symbolizes a fight for understanding and truth.
This fight for understanding and truth is the crux of the trilogy; truth in the world and understanding of ourselves and the ones we hold dear. The lyrics on this project are about the love that one should show to their friends and family and the unity of the African diaspora. The instrumentals were mostly handled by Standing on the Corner and take influence from the South-London scene and Nigerian culture. The album cover (courtesy of Abraham El-Makawy) is designed like the packaging for a bar of African black soap, the intro, "Ipari", is a prayer in Yoruba from Anu Akinbobye, and "God Save the Queen" features soundbites from a Nigerian documentary. I would consider Black Soap the least accessible of the three projects, but just as essential.
Review
Now that we have an understanding of the first to projects, we can finally tackle Renaissance Man. The project starts with a monologue by MIKE's friend Joygill Moriah on the track "Negro World", accompanied by the muffled and distorted sounds of race cars in the background of the production. The race cars aren't oddly placed, as Joygill compares a dream to a race. He reminds listeners that the destination isn't what you should focus on, because everyone is in the race together. People might get hurt along the way, so we should help each other out. These themes summarize the main theme of Black Soap and the first couple tracks on this album: that we need to look out for each other as a community. This is the titular "Negro World," which spans the African diaspora mainly in New York, Nigeria, and London.
Before I get into the rest of the album, I would like to talk about the song structure. While the tracks resistance man and Black Soap have a more structure, with one or two verses and a hook or a bridge, "resistant man" is really the only song on this project that has a hook or chorus in the traditional sense. "For the Nation" does have a hook, but it's an extremely distorted repetitive sample thats contrasted with an echoing preaching by an unknown African preacher. Most tracks on this project feature one verse from MIKE, but these tracks are still longer than 2 minutes because a voicemail, beat switch, vocal sample, feature verse, and sometimes a combination of two of these elements occupy the rest of the song. For example, "Goliath" has one verse from MIKE, and his friend and video/photographer Anthony Marshall delivers a spoken outro (which I will get back to later). The song "Mother of God" features one verse from MIKE, has the original beat fade out to the sounds of children chanting and playing, then transitions into an electronic piece with a voicemail from whom I'm assuming is his sister (I will also get back to this). The dynamic song structure on this album helps break the monotony that can come with typical albums and keep the listener interested in the project.
Following the intro and into the third single, "Sidewalk Soldier (Watdapolicies4?)", is a haunting confession from MIKE about his fear to an unknown friend on losing them to the streets. This track can be seen as a voicemail from MIKE to this friend.
On the streets is the worst way to hear about you
And that's only 'cause a nigga really care about you (Dude)
See you crumble, make you humble when it's clear around you
It's some knowledge and it's hard for me to share without you
To be here without you, put my heart on the tip
My conscious on the line when I spar with my guilt
The following track and my favorite track on the project, "Goliath" is just as slow and muddy as its predecessor. The production has a very retro, video-gamey like sound like the tracks on Black Soap. MIKE's delivery is slow, his vocals double tracked and close to as distorted as you'll ever hear, and his lyrics discuss his weakness, but also his desire to stay attached to those he loves. The dynamic between this song and the previous song is one that speaks to me a lot. On "Sidewalk Soldier", MIKE reaches out to a friend to remind them that they are loved, but on "Goliath", it appears that MIKE doesn't have anyone looking out for him. That is until the phone conversation between MIKE and his friend and video/photographer, Anthony Marshall, concludes the song. Anthony reiterates and concludes the themes on Black Soap: that we need each other. Reach out to your friends, your family. Don't let them become isolated. "Whether it be physically, spiritually, and mentally, We need each other in every sense of the word." MIKE's response is muffled, but he recognizes Anthony's words and takes them to heart, as before he was "stepping out of focus". This song is my most played song of the year because the themes and the voicemail connect with me, and the melancholic, chaotic, abrasive yet calming production grab my attention more than most songs do.
The next track, "Decision Tower", is in my opinion the weakest song on the project,but by no means filler. The production is very aquatic, and he utilizes an echo for his vocals instead of his usual double tracking, which makes them sound clearer than they usually do. The lyrical content is a MIKE style braggadocious mixing in signs of his depression, but he isn't isolated.
I don't do shit all day, just stay in the crib
With a spliff and my gang
I know my brother pain, so I stick to the grain
"Time Will Tell" and the skit "Why I'm Here" continue MIKE's quest for understanding and truth. The latter track shares the same sample as Earl Sweatshirt's December 24th, a 1970 recording titled "The Dialect Of The Black American." The purpose of this recording was to validate the existence of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a genuine English dialect, with similar quirks and intricate grammar rules as other English dialects. At first I didn't understand the purpose of this skit on the album but after looking at the context of the recording, it's perfectly clear. This recording was made right after the Civil Rights era when America was coming to terms with its systemic injustices on the African-American people. Creating an essay like this is revolutionary, and resistant against the belief a large subset of Americans, then and now, that AAVE is broken English and should not be used . This recording is the essence of a Resistance Man and a Renaissance Man; the essence of MIKE and his peers. "Resistant Man" is the theme song of this trilogy, and nothing else on this album represents this ideology more than the song's hook:
This for the ones, the ones who want truth
Kid from the slums, who love and want loot
Sit from the tongue, who dumb and touch root
This 'cause we young and wanted some jewels
Hit like a drum, the thunder come through
Miss me or some, my son become food
Kick me along, this dungeon jungle
Miss me, my dawgs, we bark, we want food
We want, we want, we want, we want truth
We want, we want, we want, we want
While the lyrics are self explanatory, MIKE's ingenious songwriting and meticulous planning are demonstrated here in that this is the only song on the project that has a traditional hook that occurs more than once in the song, as in this song resists its predestined format. The Imperial Chinese sounding sample that MIKE and Adé Hakim gathered for the production drive home their militant nature as men who resist against their ill fate and lead this so-called "renaissance of black folk" ("Negro World").
The following three song stretch is my favorite stretch of music this year. MIKE's verse on "Mother of God" is filled with tragedy, as he returns to his home in New York after his trip to London. Due to his stream of consciousness style, he falls into the same trappings of depression, attachment to weed, and the love him and his squad share, but his thoughts are becoming more hopeless as he grows more distant from his mother. As mentioned before, there is a beat switch with a voicemail from his sister Victoria Bonema melded in. As the erratic and abrasive beat drones on, his sister chastises him for not making the most out of his life due to his mental health issues. While MIKE doesn't do shit all day and just stays in the crib with a spliff and his gang, Victoria balances school and work while raising two kids. Her words do seem condescending to people struggling with mental health issues but she tells him to figure his situation out, and MIKE takes this as a wake-up call. The following title of the following track, "INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311" is a humorous reference to Eric Andre's "Investigate 311" sketch. However, there is nothing funny in the context of this project. The title reflects MIKE's search for truth in his own life as he looks back on the previous year and recognizes that changes have to be made. While he performs the first verse of the song using his signature double tracking, the second verse removes the his other voices and he changes his flow as he directly addresses his inner conflict.
Since last year, shit ain't been the same
Greens in the toe doing something to my brain
Seeds in my soul from a mother full of pain
These ain't the wounds I could cover with a chain
His delivery is more confident and self assured as he assess his place in the world and position as a rising artist.
The final track in this stretch, "Peace Offering", is a triumph for MIKE. The beautiful vocal samples chants "hey love" and melds well with the brass symphony to create one of the most majestic pieces of music released all year. MIKE's lyrics compliment this concoction well: he's "done taking time for granted;" "bae's got my [his] back, I [he] understand(s) my [his] budget; lately, he's "hopping God to go for the stars;" he fights back at his depression, as it made him "stay home in my [his] thoughts." The final words in his verse best describe that Resistance Men are "Young kids who persistant and poor." This track also features a beat switch with a feature verse from underground London artist Fleece Flies. The production is as dreamy, hazy, and indiscernible as Fleece's delivery and lyrics.
"For the Nation" is a posse cut featuring fellow [sLUms] rapper King Carter and New York artist Camden Malik. King Carter utilizes his freestyle like flow, MIKE's flow is on this track is one of his most unique as it starts out fast paced, and Camden Malik prays for guidance in troubling times. This song is the closest thing to filler on the project, but the change up in lyrical content and unique use of vocal sampling for the hook make it a welcome addition to the project. "Rebirth" caps off the Resistance Man trilogy and ushers in a new era for MIKE. Subtle piano chords join the humming and synthetic drums as MIKE kicks of his final verse. His voice is at its most monotone and his delivery is at it driest for these final 16 bars, and it kind of reminds me of Viper. He leaves the listeners with this chilling declaration of his role of a Resistance and Renaissance Man before the beat switches and sound bites play.
For the cause, I'll be a casualty
In the touching conclusion to the song, MIKE thanks his mom for saying the phrase "Live from the heart of the city" as the wind blows the project to its conclusion and the themes of Black Soap concluded.
I know this style of music isn't the most listenable, and MIKE's delivery isn't the most attention grabbing to some, but Renaissance Man is a beautiful peek into the mind of a young kid who's grown up too fast, and I believe a lot of people in his age range will relate to the feelings of depression and sadness in a continuous spinning world even if it isn't their style. All three projects in this trilogy are beautiful works of art and it would be shame for the work to be lost in the midst of Earl and sad-boy comparisons.
Favorite Songs
"Goliath" (Feat. Anthony Marshall)
"Resistant Man" (Feat. Adé Hakim)
"Mother of God" (Feat. Victoria Bonema)
"INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311"
"Peace Offering" (Feat. Fleece Flies)
"Rebirth (Outro)"
Favorite Lyrics
Time in the cold, but the fleece keep me warm
Christine on my arm
She like my moms, stay protecting me from harm
What a gwan? What's the problem with some strong?
Black boys stay evading from the law
Where I'm going, yeah, I'm taking you along
At the top, that's where I'm saying you belong
Lot of water in my socks from taking snakes up out the farm
It's with a rake and not a charm
It's with a rake and not a charm
- Goliath (Feat. Anthony Marshall)
Hold me to it, I'ma make it if I could (If I could)
Sleepy in the church, my auntie chased me with a book
That'd purify my curses, rearrange the way I look at you now
It could help my temper when it seem to arouse
I don't really like attention but I bring it around
This 'cause I hate to admit it
The victim and abuser when it came to addiction
Listen 'cause I knew that there was something that's missing
No religion, no tutor who'd taught me commitment
- Resistant Man (Feat. Adé Hakim)
Going deeper in this hole in this dungeon
To the point where I don't even want shit
Just freedom and a little bit of loving
Just freedom and a little bit of love
- Mother of God (Feat. Victoria Bonema)
Why you told me 'bout the life we could've lived?
Dig my grave 'cause I'm likely to resist
Uh, flip the page, see my writing on the script
Hit the pavement, I'm lighting up the, yeah
Been the brave since '90 with my kin
It don't make sense climbing up the cliff
Is it for the views or the drift, nigga?
I can touch the moon from my crib
Bae by my side so it's soon, the eclipse
It's monsoon when I spit
Looking in the sky, got my shoes in some shit
I was here last year, no improvement in this
I move with a limp and a crew that's legit
These niggas old, they be plucking at the gang
But believe we is bold and we tough enough to stand
These niggas cold, niggas fucking up the plan
Believe in your quote, don't just post it for the fan
- INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311 INVESTIGATE 311
My eyes is lonely in terms of the shit that it cost
My prize is only a bitter reward
To sit with you and listen to more
I'm for my blood 'til it drip from my pores
In the slums with my vision restored
You travel doing digits and tours
Young kids who persistent and poor
Kids who persistent and poor
While we walking on indigenous floors
Saying thanks to the sky for those who did it before
- Peace Offering (Feat. Fleece Flies)
You can never tell me what it is or what it isn't
Walk around, belly full of fish, never chicken
When I throw the bar, I never miss, always switching
If I don't hear you talk, I don't care about your listen
Brodie, I'm a star in the air, finna glisten
Another black man that they fear like religion
Real life vision for a real life mission, lord, give us wisdom
A nigga ain't perfect, need grace for the sinning
- For the Nation (Feat. King Carter & Camden Malik)
Love and control is different
This black body ain't nothing to hold in prison
Packed lobbies with guys that I've grown complicit with
Mommy's brothers they trekking, they've gone missing
Mom fronting, she stuck like she don't miss em, but
I can see when she looks, see they reflection, nah
Wish I could question pops, ain't tryna stress him out
I did my best without ya, you stuck the rest in power
I was done for hours, talking to my friend nostalgia
Discussion Questions
If you were a MIKE fan before these projects came out, what did you think about his transition into a more abstract, rough sound. If this was your first time listening to MIKE, what do you think about the sound compared to other underground hip-hop this year? How does this compare to other music dealing with mental health?
Could you see the new [sLUms] sound, and the sonic direction of the young New York underground as a whole, become more prominent in the coming years?
Most interesting songs on this project?
What is a Resistance and/or a Renaissance Man to you and how does this relate to the fight for understanding and truth? What is truth?
How would you rank MIKE's discography this year? (the 3 London projects and War in My Pen)
Referring to the outro on "Goliath", how will you reach out to a friend or relative who's growing distant? Is there a point where there is nothing you can do?
What's the sample on "you've been blessed" on resistance man and the sample on "Peace Offering?" I've been dying to know these.
