This past week, Killer Mike released his first solo record in about a decade. The new record is titled MICHAEL, and the cover art is a picture of Killer Mike at nine years old. The album is a homage to Killer Mike’s younger self. It also features many deep tracks about the rapper’s childhood and roots. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Killer Mike has never shied away from his southern hip-hop roots. This album is no different.
At age 48, Killer Mike has been a part of the rap world for multiple decades. He has been a part of many different projects throughout the years. He kicked off his career with a feature on OutKast’s album Stankonia in 2000. Since then, he was signed to Sony Records and released multiple solo albums, including I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind and Underground Atlanta. He also joined the highly successful rap group, Run The Jewels and he has been touring with them since 2013.
MICHAEL is set to continue to grow Killer Mike’s career. The record is executive produced by No I.D. and includes features from top artists, CeeLo Green, Ty Dolla $ign, Jagged Edge and more. Scroll down for RMR’s full review of MICHAEL.
Killer Mike via Spotify
MICHAEL Review
Killer Mike has described MICHAEL as a homage to himself as a “nine-year-old rap nerd.” The record has been influenced greatly by Killer Mike’s southern roots. Church and Christianity have always been a big part of his life, specifically the Black Southern Christian Church. This has clearly influenced the new record sonically. Many tracks include gospel choirs and organs, as well as classic hip-hop beats that we would expect from Killer Mike.
Lyrically the record is reflective, touching on a large range of subject matter. Including songs about grieving his childhood as the son of a drug dealer, politics, and the effects of his life as a black man living in America. He raps about his childhood in the tracks, “MOTHERLESS,” and even touches on politics in “RUN,” and “TALK’N THAT SHIT.” Lyrically this is some of the best work Killer Mike has even done.
Lead Single “MOTHERLESS”
Released over a month before the full record on May 11, “MOTHERLESS” kicked off Killer Mike’s new record perfectly. It is one of the most vulnerable tracks on the album, it discusses how Killer Mike felt after he lost his grandmother and mother when he was a child.
In an interview with Apple Music, Killer Mike had this to say about his album, “‘MOTHERLESS’ is about that and about the emptiness you feel, and as a human I feel like I’ve lost something. But if all the electricity left tomorrow, there’d still be trees moving, there’d still be wind grooving, and that’s all we return to. When you close your eyes, you listen to this record, this device ain’t how you are hearing this song. These vibrations are how you’re hearing this song.”
The song also includes a remix featuring Eryn Allen Kane. “MOTHERLESS” is a great way to kick off the new record and MICHAEL is set to be one of the biggest albums of the year.
