MIKE’s been stepping out from the shadows lately. For years, he’s trafficked in a faded photograph sound, his rich baritone melting into beats that could disintegrate if you held them too long. His gluey flow often obscures the beauty of his lyrics, which can move from self-examination to nostalgia to empowerment within a few seconds. But beginning with 2022’s Beware of the Monkey, MIKE started to pry the boards off the windows, illuminating the darker corners of his work. Faith is a Rock, a contemplative collaboration with Wiki and the Alchemist, dropped less than a year later, and shone with the clarity of a bright winter’s morning. Three weeks after that, MIKE released Burning Desire, a meticulously crafted opus that signaled MIKE had fully entered his charged-up era. Now, continuing his impressive run, he teams up with Brooklyn producer Tony Seltzer for Pinball, a deliriously fun record of low-stakes raps and bubbly beats. It’s the most energetic project MIKE’s ever made, an unexpected but welcome vibe change.
MIKE and Tony Seltzer have worked together before, but not like this. Seltzer produced two songs on MIKE’s 2017 breakout, May God Bless Your Hustle. His work on that album was deeply chill: “STANDOUT” married mechanical drums to atmospheric pads, a nod to the bygone cloud rap sound, and “Paul” was glistening chimes and screwed-down boom bap, barely recognizable as a Tony Seltzer beat. The two stayed in touch over the years and reconnected while MIKE assembled Burning Desire. He’d wrap up a song for Desire at his apartment, then head to Seltzer’s studio to clear his head. Seltzer would play whatever beats he’d made that week and MIKE would stop him when he heard something that stuck. The two made “R&B” more as a fun exercise than anything else, but the work felt so effortless they decided to keep going.
On Pinball, Seltzer’s in top form, providing MIKE with cartoonish trap beats, candy-colored drill, and quiet storm snap music. His drums bounce around themselves with a raised-eyebrows energy, as if they’re friends who didn’t expect to see each other show up at the same party. They seem to scatter as they hit, leaving wide-open spaces for rappers and samples alike to ooze into. The barely-there percussion on “2k24 Tour” gives the orchestral loop ample breathing room, the occasional 808 downbeats providing a hypnotic propulsive feel. On “Lethal Weapon,” Seltzer’s sporadic hi-hats and rimshots turn chintzy MIDI instruments into a pastel swirl of Delta 8 psychedelia, and the ’80s synth pads of “Skurrr” drape over deep bass like satin sheets on a marble statue. The wild jump between sounds isn’t ever jarring, though. The longer you listen, the more lush and inviting it becomes.
MIKE folds himself completely into Seltzer’s production, radiating like he’s having an absolute blast making these songs. He’s been especially invigorated across his projects for the last couple of years, but this sounds like the most fun he’s had rapping lately, perhaps ever. He stretches his voice into new territory, mutating his aqueous delivery on every song. Every phrase sounds like it originates in the back of his throat, as if he’s rapping in concave, ducking and compressing syllables to fit into the pocket. Moments like the light Auto-Tune use at the end of “Two Door” showcase his willingness to experiment, while others, like changing the pitch of his voice to match Seltzer’s half-step modulation at the end of “Skurrr,” reveal his commitment to the craft. At 25, he’s an incredibly accomplished artist, understanding the impact small details have on a composition.
Though Pinball’s subject matter is much lighter fare than most MIKE albums—his writing largely revolves around his good weed, his sizable bank account, and how good he is at rapping—it’s no minor entry in his discography. MIKE is ultimately a thinking man, and still drops stark gems of wisdom here and there. For every material boast, there are flashes of unflinching reflection, like when he admits “I had to do a homie bad, I ain’t proud of it” on “R&B.” It’s astonishing how consistently great MIKE’s catalog has been, especially given how prolific he is. Pinball is celebratory, a victory lap in the middle of the game. It’s a deepening of MIKE’s skillset and a progression that feels natural and essential, yet another confirmation that he’s destined to be a legend.
