I found Mikey Mike and he’s pretty cool if I must say. With Mikey’s latest EP Life On Earth released last fall and his smash hit “Doin Me” still running up, I needed to see what all the buzz was about. The earth-loving artist had time to answer some of my questions luckily. We talked about who is Mikey Mike, linking up with Rick Rubin, impersonating a porn star, and much more! Check out the very entertaining conversation I had with Mikey Mike below and follow him on Twitter!
Who is Mikey Mike and what got you to this moment in life?
I am creating him moment to moment so that’s something I can’t put into words. The ‘Unchanging Essence’ I would say is human on planet Earth who wants to touch and inspire people, and wants to do the boldest shit the world has ever seen, and love people so hard their fucking eyes pop out of their heads. I guess the last moment got me to this one.
What was life like for Mikey Mike before Mikey Mike?
I think life for everyone is probably pretty lame and mediocre until you fully step in your own shoes and start tapping into ‘the thing’ and start being the action, and not the reaction of what’s happening in your life. So I would say it was pretty mediocre for a while, not bad, I just wasn’t fully ‘in it’. Mikey Mike is almost a caricature of the Highest, Boldest, Baddest version of myself that I am becoming more and more each day. Some days you lose it too, and you start to become reactive and you have to smack yourself and Wake The Fuck Up! and Get Back On the Horse! But Mikey Mike is the ideal version of myself that I want to see on the screen as much as possible when I watch the picture back one day.
How did music walk into your life and become apart of your everyday routine?
I always really liked music but I didn’t fall in love until sixth grade when I got into Nirvana and the guitar, it felt like I had found a door to somewhere special. From then on, it was all I did. I quit most the sports I played and stopped pretty much everything but guitar and exploring music. It was like finding acid for a 6th grader. Just this constant “Whoa! That’s strange! And awesome!”
Everyone has or had influences at sometime, who inspired you or still does?
I like people who are bold and strange, and are really + fully submerged in their own trip that is life, not in a narcissistic way, but more of a “I know this life is a picture on a screen so I’m gonna dance motherfucker” type attitude. People like Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Kurt Cobain, and Stevie Nicks.
The song “Doin Me” has hit millions of ears over the course of a year, produced by the legend Rick Rubin. What led up to making that song, working with Rubin and having a song heard around the world?
A very prominent walk around the neighborhood with my mom! That song was written in 20 minutes flying back to Los Angeles after Christmas. My manager gave it to Rick and he loved it, then one day I was sitting with him and asked him if he would produce it, and he said yes. Ask and ye shall receive! What a lesson that was. It’s amazing to see the impact it has had on so many people’s lives. I feel like if I have a heart attack tomorrow, none of it was in vain.
We are entertained with the fact that you impersonated a pornstar named Lacey Duvalle that ultimately led to you winning a grammy for Rihanna’s song “Jump”, can you please fill in the gaps on that story? ( p.s lmao I can’t wait for this story)
I had every industry contact there was from one of my boys who stole it from a top publicist and I would email all of them beats and say “hey its Mikey I produced wale, yada, yada” and I never heard back from any of them. So finally I was in the shower going “I know they are reading these fucking emails, how dare these savages ignore me, I refuse to go unheard!” So then it hit me “Ah! The Power of The Pu$$y! The mythical creature that’s lure knows no end! That’s the answer!” And so demographically I was trying to get to about 30 year old managers of rappers so I just googled top ten black pornstars and number 8 was the great Lacey Duvalle. Popular but not so so popular that it couldn’t be real. I started impersonating her sending out emails saying she was getting out of porn to manage a producer and I listed all this eclectic music and shit and it was just the strangest email of all time so everybody got back to me right away! It was amazing! One email got to Rihanna’s people in a roundabout way and the rest was history! A real winner that Lacey. I owe her a hug.
So November 2nd this year (ironically my birthday) you released Life On Earth EP featuring three amazing songs. What was the process like making this short, but sweet tape? Can we expect more EP’s or full-fledge albums?
Those songs are from as far back as 5 years. We just wanted to get something out to keep the train rolling and luckily the songs are different enough that there’s probably something for everyone. I am dying to get out more tunes because I am deep on the second album and itching to get them all out in the world. The first part of my life long album “Mikey Mike’s Life on Earth” should be out in February.
Who are some people you are working with or hope to work with in the future?
Oh man where to start. I want to do a collab with my buddy Nombe. I love Billie Eilish, I think she’s the most captivating and talented new thing in music. Maybe Alanis Morissette, if she’s still kicking somewhere. DMX is a favorite, I would like to get on something. So many, from all over the spectrum.
As the industry is becoming more versatile, artists are now branding themselves with marketable products or simply giving back to their communities. Do you have something you would like to give back to the world?
The music I think is the most significant thing I can give. When people say “hey that song literally saved my life” I don’t know how to top that. I think realistically putting my time into the songs that can touch people is way more impactful than anything I could do in a physical sense of giving, though it would be cool to do both!
Being apart of the Daily Chiefers fam, I have to ask what you prefer to smoke and your favorite way of smoking?
I like stuff that is high CBD and just enough THC to give me a little buzz. When I was in highschool, one time I was drunk and took 3 gravity bong hits, and was hearing voices through walls, and had the strangest, darkest trip of my life. Weed was never the same for me after that. I would enjoy hitting a joint a couple times when I’m drunk, but then I found CBD and it changed the game for me. I have my own weed strain, it’s called Mikey Mike’s Life on Earth, a collaboration with Calafari, that is out in dispensaries now. We created a pre-rolled joint pack containing seven mini joints of what we like to call “Dog Walkers.” The Life on Earth strain contains 80%CBD and 20% Sour Diesel, it’s quite amazing. I call it, “just high enough.” and, “The wine of weed.” Look out for it!
Last but not least, what can we expect from Mikey Mike moving forward?
A ton of new music! Poems! A TV series called “Mikey Mike’s Life on Earth!” A theme park! Anal beads! You name it, its fucking coming! Pucker up!
All photos were shot by Bryant Rosales, @bryantricvrdo.
