Mike (musician)

Michael Jordan Bonema (born October 13, 1998), known professionally as MIKE (stylized in all caps), is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer based in New York City.

Bonema's atypical upbringing, having experienced life in New Jersey, England, Philadelphia and New York City, has had an audible influence on his diverse and experimental music style.

He gained interest from listeners, journalists and industry executives alike as he released several short-run EPs, his first critically reviewed mixtape, Winter New York, and his first full-length project, Longest Day, Shortest Night.

Bonema then experienced a break-out year in 2017, as he became recognised within hip hop circles via his next full-length project, entitled May God Bless Your Hustle, in June 2017.

), an online-focused, underground hip-hop collective consisting of himself, Adé Hakim, Jodi.10k (formerly Jazz Jodi), Darryl Johnson, King Carter and Mason Dreiling.

[1] Whilst living in England in 2008, a young Bonema first gained interest in hip-hop by watching the music videos of Skepta, Chipmunk and N-Dubz with his mother and older sisters.

[2] He also states that he was surrounded by Contemporary R&B artists like Chingy and Bow Wow in his early life, as he "lived in a house with lots of girls".

He began to familiarise himself with the emerging American hip-hop scene, stating he studied the works of artists like Chance the Rapper, Drake and Lil Wayne.

[2] As Bonema grew older, he began to develop his own tastes in hip-hop and started following artists like Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and other members of the Odd Future collective.

[1] Bonema states that they formed a mentor and mentee relationship, as Sweatshirt provided him advice on making music, learning to express himself and how to support himself as a "young black boy in America".

[1] Bonema also learned to produce music in 2016, as his friend and fellow Slums member, Sixpress, taught him how to use the digital audio workstation Ableton Live.

[5] In June, he released the completed project as a pay what you want download on his Bandcamp, thanking several people within his support network, including his mother, father, sisters, Sweatshirt and members of Slums, for their contributions.

[6] Bonema then focused on his follow-up project, Renaissance Man, which was released on the one-year anniversary of his breakout album, May God Bless Your Hustle, in June.

[1] Bonema has been described as hip hop's newest "wunderkind" and was branded as one of the most important figures in contemporary hip-hop by the likes of Pitchfork, The Fader and The New Yorker.

[1][4][5][24] He is characterised primarily by his voice, which has been classified as "monotone and muffled",[25] as well as his "intoxicatingly slow" vocal delivery,[25] his "preternatural sense" of understanding rhythmic technique[26] and his "signature blend" of lo-fi drum beats and contorted jazz loops.

[5][26] Bonema states his earliest influence was Skepta, whilst also citing MF Doom, Chance the Rapper, Drake, Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator as major contributors to his sound.

[1][2] He also cites Sade, King Krule and mentor Earl Sweatshirt as important influencers regarding his writing style, as he appreciates how they make "real life music" where the "simple stuff hits you the hardest".

[29] Bonema remains close with his family, as he consistently visits his New York-based sisters, contacts his Philadelphia-based father and was reunited with his London-based mother despite her living in Nigeria after "paperwork issues".