Mike Musician Biography
American rapper, composer, and record producer Michael Jordan Bonema (born October 13, 1998), better known by his stage name Mike (commonly abbreviated as MIKE), is based in New York City. Bonema’s unusual background—he lived in Livingston, London, Essex, Philadelphia, and New York City—has clearly influenced his experimental and varied musical taste.
In 2015, Bonema used his Bandcamp profile to begin his professional career. As he released multiple short-lived EPs, his first critically acclaimed mixtape, Winter New York, and his first full-length record, Longest Day, Shortest Night, he began to garner attention from listeners, journalists, and industry executives alike. Bonema then had a breakthrough year in 2017, getting recognition in the hip-hop community in June 2017 with his next full-length CD, May God Bless Your Hustle.
Bonema then dropped a number of follow-up singles, including War in My Pen in December 2018 and Black Soap in May 2018. Renaissance Man and Black Soap were released shortly after each other. Pitchfork, The Fader, and The New Yorker, among other publications, have expressed interest in him again because of his lyrical and musical production skills as well as his cultural impact.
Bonema is a co-founder of Slums (stylized as [sLUms]), an underground hip-hop collective with an emphasis on the internet that includes Adé Hakim, Darryl Johnson, Mason Dreiling, Jodi.10k (formerly Jazz Jodi), and Bonema. Currently, 10k, his independent record label and publishing organization, is how he publishes his music.
Mike Musician Early life
Jordan Michael On October 13, 1998, Bonema was born in Livingston, New Jersey. Born and raised in New Jersey, his mother moved him to England when he was five years old because she believed there would be greater educational prospects there. Bonema was “stripped away from American culture and pushed into British culture” during his five years of upbringing in Hackney, London. After listening to English Grime singer Skepta when she was seven years old, Bonema developed an interest in music production. When Bonema was twelve years old, he and his father moved back to Philadelphia, where Bonema began to encounter and study American hip-hop culture. He moved back to The Bronx with his father when he was 16 years old. Later, he moved to Brooklyn and founded Slums with his buddies.
Mike Musician Net Worth
Mike is thought to have a $3 million net worth.
His financial success has been influenced by his success in the music business as well as his independent releases and collaborative efforts.
Musical career
2008–2014: Early interest in hip hop
In 2008, while residing in England, a young Bonema became interested in hip-hop from viewing Skepta, Chipmunk, and N-Dubz music videos alongside his elder sisters and mother. He adds that having “lived in a house with lots of girls” in his early years exposed him to contemporary R&B musicians like Chingy and Bow Wow.
After moving back to Philadelphia in 2010, Bonema developed a deeper curiosity with the culture underlying hip-hop. He claimed to have studied the music of artists like Chance the Rapper, Drake, and Lil Wayne as he started to become acquainted with the burgeoning American hip-hop industry. In 2012, Bonema recorded his debut song, a rendition of the underground popular song “All Caps” by MF Doom and Madlib. According to Bonema, the song was motivated by his way of life in Philadelphia, had a strong vocal style, and served as a straightforward experiment for him to learn how to express himself as a 14-year-old.
As Bonema got older, he started to form his own hip-hop interests and started listening to musicians such as Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, and other members of the Odd Future group. By 2013, Bonema had taken hip-hop more seriously and had started putting out music, corresponding with record executives and industry journalists via email.
2015: Founding Slums
In January 2015, Bonema uploaded his debut effort, a six-track EP called Belgium Butter, to his Bandcamp. According to Bonema, he created this initiative mostly for himself in an effort to regain his confidence and find his position in the community.
In an attempt to find stability and independence at this time, Bonema co-founded the underground hip-hop group Slums. The similar-minded New York City artists Adé Hakim, aJodi.10k, Darryl Johnson, King Carter, and Mason Dreiling make up the group, which he says was a significant turning point in his life because it “felt good to be around people that he felt like he understood.”
Throughout 2015, Bonema put out two more limited-edition EPs, Crimson EP and RAFA (running away from the ajogun), the latter of which showed his renewed commitment to working with other Slums members.
Throughout the year, Bonema collaborated with Slums on his breakthrough mixtape, Winter New York, while sharing an apartment in New York City. The mixtape, he said, was about “figuring out what self-worth and confidence meant… to be able to tell my story and the stories of people I know to help somebody else.” It was centered around teenage culture in New York City.
2016: Meeting Earl Sweatshirt and joining Lex Records
In February, Bonema released Jungle Boy, a four-track EP that explored the idea of New York City as a “jungle” in response to his popular mixtape. Bonema then signed with indie record label Lex Records, situated in London, in order to release, publish, and distribute his music.*
His next project, Longest Day, Shortest Night, was released in June, and he started working on it then. In September and December of that year, he followed up with two further limited-edition EPs, The Ones Who Were Made By Time and Tonight, With You.
It was about this time that Bonema connected with Earl Sweatshirt—who he calls his “favorite rapper”—after buying one of his Bandcamp releases. As Bonema puts it, Sweatshirt became his mentor and protégé, teaching him how to make music, express himself, and get by as a “young black boy in America” and how to sustain himself.
In 2016, Bonema also gained experience in music production thanks to Sixpress, a fellow Slums member and buddy who showed him how to utilize the Ableton program. He claims it was significant because it gave him complete creative control over his music, enabling him to “100%” reflect and communicate his feelings.
2017: Making May God Bless Your Hustle
In early 2017, Bonema began working on a new mixtape that he initially titled By The Water. He said he struggled because his “mind wasn’t in the right place” and he felt like he wasn’t being true to himself, which caused him to postpone the project due to artistic difficulties. When Bonema’s mother wrote “May God Bless Your Hustle” on his Instagram, it unintentionally inspired him to pick up where he left off with the project. He claims that his mother’s comment encapsulated his circumstances well since he was aware of his struggles leading an independent life in New York City while also knowing that his wider support system was constantly showering him with “blessings,” “gifts,” and “positive energy.”
Bonema recorded half of the songs at XL Recordings in Lower Manhattan and the other half at his Bedford-Stuyvesant home while he continued to work on the project throughout the year. His mother, father, sisters, Sweatshirt, and other members of Slums were among the people he thanked for their contributions when he made the finished project available for download on his Bandcamp in June.
As the year went on, Bonema began work on his self-produced, commercial debut, the By The Water EP, a short player.
2018–2021: Black Soap, Renaissance Man, War in My Pen, Tears of Joy, Weight of the World, and Disco!
In early 2018, Bonema moved to London and started working on his next project, Black Soap, while living on his own. Beginning with the release of the first track “Time Ain’t Enough” in April, he shared a music video directed by 10k Productions, introduced the project’s entire list of contributors, which included Standing on the Corner, Darryl Johnson, Adé Sayed, and his mother, Anu Akinbobye. In May, he released the project—which he stated was “made with passion, love, and community”—through Bandcamp for physical copies, digital downloads, and online streaming.
After that, Bonema concentrated on his follow-up project, Renaissance Man, which was made available in June, the same month as his breakthrough album, May God Bless Your Hustle. Not too long later, Bonema said that he would be releasing another project in December, called War in My Pen. He said that it will be a 13-track album produced by DJ Blackpower, with London-based musicians Jadasea and Redlee with New York City-based musicians Medhane, Sage Elesser, and King Carter, who are all affiliated with the Slums. Bonema’s own record label, 10k, independently published the project.
In January, Bonema, BbyMutha, Na-Kel Smith, Liv.e, and Black Noi$e were revealed as Earl Sweatshirt’s support acts for his Fire It Up! tour. Over the course of the three-month tour, Sweatshirt will play multiple venues throughout the United States and England. The tour began in March.
Bonema released Tears of Joy on June 21, 2020, and Weight of the World on June 21, 2020. Bonema, also known as DJ Blackpower, released his debut EP, blp2020: “king of the night” on October 31, 2020. First out in early 2021, BLP2021: “For Ur Own Good” is the title of the second EP produced under the same moniker.
On June 21, 2021, Bonema released Disco!, reaching a peak of number 98 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart.
2022–present: One More, Beware of the Monkey, Faith Is A Rock, and Burning Desire
Bonema revealed Beware of the Monkey on October 13, 2022, and it was released on December 21, 2022. On October 13, 2022, the first album single, “nuthin i can do is wrong,” was made available.18] On November 3, 2022, the second single, “What Do I Do?” was made available. Featuring Sister Nancy, the third and final song “Stop Worry” was made available on November 29, 2022.
On November 25, 2022, Mike worked with Wiki and The Alchemist to release the EP One More. On September 22, 2023, they then released a full-length collaborative album called Faith Is a Rock. On October 13, 2023, Mike then released Burning Desire, his 12th solo album.
Mike Musician Artistry
Bonema has been dubbed the newest “wunderkind” of hip-hop and recognized as one of the key players in the genre by publications including Pitchfork, The Fader, and The New Yorker. His voice, which has been described as “monotone and muffled”, along with his “intoxicatingly slow” vocal delivery, “signature blend” of lo-fi drum beats and twisted jazz loops, and “preternatural sense” of comprehending rhythmic technique, are what most distinguish him. Additionally, he has received recognition for being a “natural-born storyteller” who can communicate insights, reflections, and admissions about navigating adolescence.
Mike Musician Influences
Bonema claims that Skepta was his first musical inspiration. He also lists Tyler, the Creator, Drake, MF Doom, and Chance the Rapper as significant influences on his sound. In addition, he lists mentor Earl Sweatshirt, Sade, and King Krule as significant influences on his writing style because he admires their ability to create “real life music,” where the “simple stuff hits you the hardest.” As Bonema developed his stage name, MIKE, through his first recorded song where he rapped, “Something, something, something, write my name in all caps like DOOM did,” his love of MF Doom played a part in the alias’ development.
Bonema considers two significant works that enhanced his creative processes: Punkzilla by Adam Rapp and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He claims they were significant because they taught him how to express himself through music.
Bonema also lists his mother, elder sisters, and instructors as important sources of influence among women in his life. He claims that his mother used to say something to him that inspired the title of his breakthrough mixtape, May God Bless Your Hustle.
Mike Musician Personal life
Having to “adjust over and over again” every time he traveled between Livingston, London, Essex, Philadelphia, and New York City, Bonema remembers his upbringing as a challenging one. He adds that because it was “too much work,” he began to isolate himself and stop talking to people. He frequently considers his mental health problems, saying that around the age of 14, he experienced despair for the first time as it “was a weird time” when he was expected to be independent and had little sense of his own value. In addition, he claims that because he was “around too many people” and “being told to do things,” he had anxiety at school.
Bonema has close ties with his family; he keeps in touch with his father in Philadelphia, regularly visits his sisters in New York, and was reunited with his mother in London even though she moved to Nigeria due to “paperwork issues.” He says he “understands how we express ourselves” and that Earl Sweatshirt has taught him a lot about life. He also gives a good reflection on their friendship.
Since he feels most at ease on stage, Bonema claims that music is the most significant aspect of his life. He goes on to say that although he finds it difficult to express his emotions in person, he can “translate it through different forms”. Bonema has started releasing a few pieces to SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music, although she still prefers to share music through Bandcamp.
Mike Musician Social Media
- Instagram handle: @mikelikesrap
- Twitter handle: @mikelikesrap
Mike Musician Discography
- Winter New York
- Longest Day
- Shortest Night
- Black Soap Rafael
Who is Mike music?
Born Michael Francis Seander, mike is a platinum-selling recording artist from the United States. While recuperating from surgery at Duke University, where he was an all-American pitcher and still maintains the school record for lowest ERA, his musical journey began in 2012.
Where is rapper Mike from?
In 1998, Mike was born in New Jersey as Michael Jordan Bonema, and during his early years, he lived in London with his mother. He became aware of the grime scene while he was in London, and as a young adolescent returning to the States, he started incorporating that influence into his own songs.
Who is the artist known as Mike?
American hip-hop singer and baseball lover Michael Francis Seander, better known by his stage name Mike Stud, began his career in 2010 with the hit song “College Humor.”
What happened Mike Posner?
A few weeks after being taken to a nearby hospital following a rattlesnake bite in Colorado, his walk was postponed until August 7. In Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, on October 18, 2019, he completed his walk across America. Over 2,800 miles were covered by him over the six-month journey.
