Reacting to "Showbiz!" by MIKE
Added 2025-02-14 23:55:19 +0000 UTCJust saw in the MP3 version comments that DJ Blackpower is MIKE. Had no idea. That makes it even more of a mind warp
Enjoy!
Direct Play Link: https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/play/27377/fdd04890-8c90-44e9-a472-c85591b3fe56
Comments
I think it's pretty apparent that Earl went way more experimental after linking with the NYC underground. I've been a huge fan of his since his self-titled tape and Mike and Medhane since my old friend went to college with Slauson Malone in the mid-2010s; the lo-fi sample loop style with much slower flows was something Mike and Medhane were doing consistently before Earl, although I'd agree on the mentorship and mutual influence point.
Spencer Thompson
2025-02-23 09:21:29 +0000 UTCSomething that I love is that if you look up "MIKE rapper" on google images this guy looks like he's the happiest guy on earth. Bro has the biggest smile in nearly every photo.
Yarden
2025-02-18 02:35:13 +0000 UTCbob i need that larry june and 2 chainz reaction
ginger
2025-02-16 21:52:04 +0000 UTCAlso want to add that I look at their lyrics more as poetry, which makes it a much more enjoyable listen
sam
2025-02-16 03:48:33 +0000 UTCHey Bob, Mike actually influenced Earl sweatshirt, Mike is actually considered the pioneer of underground hip-hop in this lane. Would highly recommend going back and listening to Earls some rap songs and see if it clicks more after hearing Mike.
sam
2025-02-16 03:47:21 +0000 UTCMr. Bob do you plan on listening to Beautiful Thugger Girls? Great reaction btw
J7
2025-02-16 03:18:09 +0000 UTCgreat reaction 👍 just gonna drop this in here because literally all of his verses are like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ94tZubkiA
Cardboard
2025-02-15 20:15:33 +0000 UTCI know this isn’t related to the video but did u delete your top 50 albums of all time video or am I high and there wasn’t one in the first place
Sporokle
2025-02-15 18:04:06 +0000 UTCtbh I'm tired of both these narratives, cause it's clear the influence is mutual and goes both ways lol Earl is a mentor and major influence to MIKE, and after becoming friends and working together, it inspired Earl for albums like SRS... it's not just "one influenced the other"
blurr
2025-02-15 10:53:13 +0000 UTChell yeah. love mike
603453105L
2025-02-15 09:26:39 +0000 UTCVery excited to see you react to MIKE, I’d recommend his Project Pinball with Tony Seltzer its short and has his style over more conventional production
Tim B
2025-02-15 08:22:48 +0000 UTClol re-listen to some rap songs my dude
Julian
2025-02-15 06:25:10 +0000 UTCThis album was cool MIKE always crushes it lyrically some of the production I wasnt feeling and others I rocked with Bob I think you should've started with Burning Desire the production is more cohesive on there.
tradez401
2025-02-15 01:53:43 +0000 UTCglad you listened to this. glad your first reaction to mike was "different"...exactly why i was hoping youd listen to him for a while. been a mike fan for years and threw this on randomly last week realizing i hadnt listened to any new albums in months. so glad i did. many of the samples and references prolly go over your head but mike really feels like hes talking straight to me at times, I used to play the song sampled in Watered Down (La Costa by Natalie Cole) all the time when I worked at a coffee shop in my early twenties. zombie pt. 2 was instantly my fav mike beat as soon as i turned it on (an incredibly high bar). i love when you react to more experimental albums like this.
Spencer Thompson
2025-02-15 01:44:52 +0000 UTCTHIS. Earl said himself "I be chilling with MIKE and Med(hane)"
Spencer Thompson
2025-02-15 01:37:37 +0000 UTCMIKE is one of those artists you gotta check out his discography overtime. His last 6 albums he’s put out since like 2020 have all been masterpieces imo. I say you should check them out over time because his flow & voice are a little monotonous. Starting at his album Weight of the world and onward was just straight CLASSICS. He is a big influence on Earl (they’ve been good friends for a while now) and he & Billy woods are big influences on Earl’s Some Rap Songs & Feet of Clay. HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend doing reactions to AT LEAST “Beware of the Monkey”, and “Burning Desire” which is a horror themed album. He does like 90% of his own production as dj blackpower. Very intelligent & chill dude.
Tre
2025-02-15 01:10:33 +0000 UTCYou also heard MIKE on Celibate on Danny Brown’s Quaranta
Samuel C
2025-02-15 00:27:19 +0000 UTCYou got it backwards Bob, Earl was influenced by MIKE not vice versa! Some Rap Songs especially
Colin Harvey
2025-02-15 00:24:06 +0000 UTCi can see why you felt sort of inconclusive at least after your first listen. i think mike's woozy, laid back flow is more of an acquired taste that some people would label as boring or as you said, sloppy. it's definitely not for everyone, but that is his appeal. i think (only if you're still interested) burning desire is much more ambitious, engaging and surprising both in terms of the music and mike's rapping. it's also extremely thematic and has a storyline that progresses nicely throughout the album as well. it's about the same length as showbiz and is produced almost entirely by mike per usual. it for sure threw me off on first listen (in a good way) because it wasn't his typical style. again, if you're still interested enough to hear another project by him, i would say burning desire is your best bet.
imani
2025-02-15 00:14:34 +0000 UTCMIKE is really great, I’m glad you checked him out, regardless of which tape it was
Deen Syed
2025-02-14 23:56:54 +0000 UTC
