Killer Mike
Michael
LOMA VISTA
ABOVE THE CURRENT
Michael is Killer Mike’s first solo effort since he and rapper/producer El-P established Run the Jewels a decade ago, around the time El-P produced Mike’s 2012 album R.A.P. Music. The Atlanta emcee owns a more gospel- and soul-infused sound when compared against the electronic-infused rap from his collaborative work with El-P on that project’s four albums. Michael shines more of a light on Mike’s Southern rap heritage and all the genres associated with it.
Michael is also one of the most heartfelt and serious albums in his discography, even when he’s dropping lines that are more fun toss offs for the live show. The core DNA strain for this ATL sound is typically trap music, which can most prominently be heard on “Run,” which features Atlanta native Young Thug and Dave Chappelle. Several tracks—such as album highlight “Shed Tears,” “High and Holy,” and early single “Don’t Let the Devil”—push pipe organ and piano to the forefront of the mix for a soulful hum. RTJ4 was a mostly synthetic album, but here Mike places an emphasis on the band and live instruments with excellent samples of Three 6 Mafia, Curtis Mayfield, and others.
Many of the tracks on the album work best when female backing vocalists deliver the main melody or hook. In the foreground, Mike looks back at his early life, giving thanks for not becoming a drug addict or alcoholic, but also shares some defining moments with a former girlfriend and family members when he was a young man in Atlanta. Above all, Michael is one of Killer Mike’s most shining efforts due to its emphasis on capturing the live energy of a Run the Jewels show, an element sorely lacking from most rap records in 2023. At almost 50, Mike is talk’n his shit in the smoothest and most professional way possible.
