Single: What Do I Do?
Artist: Mike
Genre: #abstracthiphop
Sub-Genres: #cloudrap
Label: 10k
MIKE is a New York based rapper who has been active since 2015. His work and the whole Slums collective frequently put out some of the most interesting and boundary-pushing rap music that can be found today. This does not change on MIKE's new single, "What Do I Do?"
Cover art for the single ^
This is such a beautiful song. The looping vocal samples, angelic synthesizers, and beautiful occasional guitar line make this into one of the most beautiful beats I've ever heard. MIKE's producing has recently taken influence from vaporwave and this song has such a fuzzy, warm feeling to it that I love. The verse is also interesting. A warning to first time listeners, a main flaw many people have with MIKE is his monotonous flow. MIKE has a very steady, calm flow. This can be off-putting to listeners who are expecting a more hype MC or a more crazy mic presence. For me, MIKE's flow is unique and is a plus for the type of music he creates. Often his calm flow mixes into the beat in very hypnotic ways. This happens on this song as well. The majority of his verse seems to be him reflecting on his youth and also descriptions of his day to day. The emotive lyricism of past albums isn't apparent on his two most recent singles but the verse on this song fits the vibe to create an awesome single.
This is the second single in the lead-up to MIKE's new album. The first was "nuthin i can do is wrng" which was also a great song. The album is projected to be released in December and I am very excited for it.
Reviewer’s Name: Luke Wise
Date of Review: 11/6/2022