INTERVIEWS

DENVER, COLORADO | OGDEN THEATRE

10/18/2017

Photographer/Writer: Mowgli Miles

I was in the alley smoking a blunt with my friends Lu and Clancy randomly after my scheduled interview with CUB. The Slumerican crew and artist were constantly back and forth in-between sets for gear and cig breaks here and there. I got lucky and caught up with Mikey Mike for an unscheduled interview on spot as he came outside after his set.

Mikey Mike is currently opening up for Yelawolf on the 5150 Tour. He was nice enough to give me his time after finishing his set at The Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colorado. Right place, right time. Much love for the love Mikey.

For the people who don't know you, can you tell who you are and what you do?

Mikey Mike: My name is Mikey Mike, and I'm originally from Salisbury, Maryland. I live in California now, and I make music and write scripts and make poems and I just live life! Yeah, I'm just trying to be alive. That's step one. Just be alive and be aware and be present.

Step one, I like that! So can we end racism, is it possible?

Mikey Mike: Yeah, I think with every year and every generation, people more and more don't have it in them. I think honestly we have a system that perpetuates it in the sense of we have people that are very powerful that part of divide and conquer is to keep man v.s. woman, class v.s. class, oppressor v.s. oppressor, race v.s. race. There's obviously people that are racist... and they live in a little fucking hole together and nobody fucks with them and they're all miserable together.

Mikey Mike: I think the media spins shit so much that we think there's this resurgence of white-supremecy, and I don't think it's true. I look around at all the people I know, I don't known anyone in my life who's a genuine fucking racist. And I know a lot of people. And I'm from Maryland in a small town, and there I knew friends, certain parents that were quasi... that had racial prejudices. But even the ones I knew who were maybe the most racist on paper, still would stop in a minute to help somebody of a different race or whatever. So I think there's obviously still prejudices that everyone has of different people. The more time we spend with different people of different backgrounds, the more it's disappearing everyday.

Great answer. So what causes genuine hate?

Mikey Mike: Well I think everything comes from within. So anything somebody's pointing at somebody else, they're pointing at themselves they just don't know it. You know that feeling of hatred or anger, always esteems from you, and it only exist in you. So if you want you can point at somebody else but it's about you! So that's my feeling. I think it comes from within. I think it comes from guilt, it comes from anger. They don't want to put it on themselves so they project it on somebody else.

Do you have anything coming up, anything you'd like to plug at all?

Mikey Mike: We're just going to drop about a song a month, and have more videos. Everything you can find on my Instagram, my website, yeah it's all there. Just going to be leaking shit, poems, everything. Yeah, it's all encompassing, it's just life.

Any closing messages? Anything you want to leave with the people, the struggling artist? 

Mikey Mike: Yeah, wear condoms! Yupp, wear condoms. Oh, and for the artist, just keep pushing. You have to make the doors. You're going to have to grind forever. I see people who do it for like two years and they're like nothing happened... it's like are you fucking kidding me? I was in a bedroom for ten years, making beats all day, and writing hooks for other people until I got so good at writing hooks I was like fuck it! Why am I trying to be apart of somebody else's trip? I'll make my own trip! I mean I'm not the best singer in the world, I'm not the best rapper. But you know, I feel I got something to say, I say and people listen. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and say yo you gotta get a real job... but, it doesn't happen. I think if you're doing you, and you're really giving your fucking cheese straight out of you, people feel it. No matter where they're from. People say yeah, I get down with this.

Yo, that's a perfect answer! Thank you so much for this bro!

Mikey Mike is BY FAR one of the most enthusiastic people I have ever met. Maybe it's just because I caught him after his set and he was coming off of the high performing for a live crowd will give you... but something tells me he literally always carries this positive energy with him everywhere he goes. His vibe is infectious. Mikey reminded me about the simpler things in life. Such as just being alive. Which means to be present and aware. Refreshing. Beyond refreshing.

Much love for the love Mikey!

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