With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
On “Evil Eye,” MIKE seems to enjoy subverting what technically makes a good rap song. A purist might tell the Bronx rapper and producer that his vocals shouldn’t be so muddled, or the volume of his voice shouldn’t overpower the beat, or his flow should be more concerned with catching the pockets of the instrumental, but MIKE’s music shines as it gradually strays further from the fundamentals. His flow feels a lot more shapeless as well, its choppiness (especially on the memorable first couple of lines) is invigorating: “I was gone for a tad on the way back dummy/If you talk bad I’m gettin’ payback dummy,” he raps. Similarly, this song features one of the least claustrophobic beats he’s made under his dj blackpower alias, and it contains a sweet and bright warped sample. MIKE evolves a little bit more with every drop.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from MIKE and more on our Spotify playlist.
