Has Mikkey given up the chase to be great and reverting back to corner tactics? Is he leaving positivity and lyricism, redirecting his content to include peddling and pushing? Flagrantly using the word “swag” even though it’s empty at this point? Read the rest of this entry »

“Too many locked up and gone for me to lie in a poem, or try to perpetrate a fraud when I’m writing a song.”

Hip-Hop current landscape with more than its share of devilishness centered around pimpin’ hoes and slammin’ Cadillac doors. Mikkey’s a mic apostle who would be touted had he emerged during a different era. Read the rest of this entry »

Like plush pillows and complimentary Mimosas, Mikkey Halsted is headed to The Dark Room in first class style. Paris, Tokyo, anywhere you wanna go, Mikkey pulls audio frequencies out of thin air like airport Wi-Fi in his visual directed by Noah Banks. And yes, you can put your seat back. Read the rest of this entry »

The onset of fall in Chicago is inspiring its musicians, and I’m not just talking about Mr. West, but the underground MCs that keep the cities street rep unshaken. One such example is “2012,” off J. Ivy’s LP Here I Am finds the Chi-town native trading apocalyptic rhymes with Twone Gabz and Mikkey Halsted. Read the rest of this entry »

It may be Naledge Born’s born-day, yet he’s the one doling out the gifts. The Windy City native linked up with Aphilliate DJ Moondawg for his Twentysomething mixtape to celebrate the occasion. Much like The Land Of Make Believe, Twentysomething is a celebration of that transitional place between 25 & 30. Read the rest of this entry »

All aboard the SMKA space shuttle. Aleon Craft has crystal clear skies in his eyes as he blasts into orbit with Mick Boogie & Terry Urban for The Stargazing Soundtrack. With crew members such as Playboy Tre, Mikkey Halsted and several other literal ATLiens, to summarize this as simply a mixtape would be a crime. It’s pure aeronautics. Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m a Crook, come and look at my Castle, you a Wonder Woman right? Don’t get caught in my lasso…I’m a Mac, we can make computer love on my Apple.”

Mik and producer Pro combine for “First Class,” serving up a flagrant street single for The Dark Room. Read the rest of this entry »

As ATL-iens Aleon Craft and SMKA continue their stellar journey—the Stargazing Tour, to be more specific—through the A, the duo drop “Brand New Day,” the latest installment from their corresponding Stargazing Soundtrack mixtape. Read the rest of this entry »

With the help of Coodie & Chike for Creative Control, Halsted gets visual with the intro from track from his latest mixtape (download it here). Short & succinct, I’d say this clip is more about continuing to build facial recognition for fans than the song itself. The lyrics & Mikkey’s commanding voice, they already spoke volumes. Read the rest of this entry »

MTV’s Mixtape Daily shines their spotlight on Mikkey, having him detail his history with Kanye West, Cash Money and JD. Also, the speak on The Darkroom.

“It’s really going to be my first album and it’s really going to be done the way I want — the way No ID and I wanted to do it if we didn’t have any label interference,” Halsted said. “But it’s just a good thing. I’ve been through so many different things in a short period of time, so thank God I started as a teenager so, you know, you feel like you matured now, you ready for everything that’s coming.”

[MTV]

Andrew, Mr. “All Things Chicago,” dropped off these two mp3′s from Mikkey Halsted. Up first is the CDQ for “On My Own,” which had a video that dropped the other week. Of course, it co-stars Freddie and will be on Maja 7th & FSD’s The Breakout.

The second one is what would be the original version of “Lifetime…,” produced by Cayex Illah. Personally, I prefer the one that appeared on Best You nEver Heard because the “Ghostwritten by God…”chorus is key and is only amped by the spooky, cascading feel of the track. But the warped sound to this one might work better for some.

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Download — Freddie Gibbs & Mikkey Halsted – “On My Own”

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Download — Mikkey Halsted – “Lifetime In Between The Papers Lines” (Cayex Illah Original)

The boy who would be UnCrowned’s king has traveled a long, circuitous path from the guy Kanye spoke on in “Last Call” to the release of the Dark Room and Chicago: The Photo Album. Luckily, he’s left audio traces to help document his journey. And today, Mikkey releases his Best You nEver Heard mixtape, composed of 38 tracks — a mixture of new, old and unreleased; past tracks from his time spent with Kanye, Cash Money and more recently with No I.D. On the mix, there’s a few snippets for upcoming work like “Frozen,” which has been circulating for a minute, and “Runnin’ My City.”

For the uninitiated, it’s a fast track way to get caught up on why I’m of the firm belief that this guy deserves the “next” label now. For those who’ve been listening, enjoy another one worthy of the archives because hearing all of the tracks together as a cohesive only increases their value, highlighting Mik’s gift with gab. Read the rest of this entry »

As he prepares to release his upcoming The Best You nEver Heard mixtape, Mikkey cranks out a little promotional fair the first (sanctioned) audio leak and a promo vid with an itinerary of his appearances in support of the release. Read the rest of this entry »

I can post a Mikkey track and know that it may only get a handful of responses. But it’s tracks like “My Lifetime…” that keep me with my rally cap turned to the back in support of the UnCrowned King. Still haven’t listened to his material or looking for a parallel? The wordplay & poetic sensibilities reminiscent of Illmatic Nas mixed with the attention to graphic details akin to Ice Cube as well as the vocal presence of oft-forgotten Geto Boy Big Mike. Not one to waste a beat, I can’t really say I’ve heard a song that was a throwaway from Halsted because you can sense a quiet desperation and passion with each line.

Like the man says, this is his life.

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Download — Mikkey Halsted – “My Lifetime In Between The Paper’s Lines”

The Best You Never Heard, due out February 11th, 2010 and will premiere @ mikkeyhalsted.com. Below, a clip of its crafting with Halsted in the studio playing the ringmaster.

Respect: Ruby Hornet

A few seasons back, I made the remark that the Midwest was next to grab the spotlight. It took the region (or maybe the media coverage) a bit to catch on but the time is finally here with Gibbs & Halsted, two of my personal favs, as two of the torchbearers. On “On My Own,” the artists bring their usual dose of keen-edged social commentary & lyricism, giving listeners a glimpse into the neighboring cities of GI and the Chi through the eyes of two of their most promising denizens. Read the rest of this entry »