We have been vocal fans of South London based grime MC M.I.K. (short for Music Is Knowledge) for a while now. We invited him down to play at our second event – also getting him in to the studio to vocal one of the remixes on the LS002 EP – and couldn’t resist getting him back down again. This time we managed to get some questions at him ahead of the show to find out a bit more about what he is up to…
The Family Tree affiliated MC is one of the most prolific and consistently on point mic men around. In charge of one of the sharpest flows in grime, he has the ability to take any beat he works with and make it 100% his own. Equal parts hype, swagger and wit, his dextrous wordplay always works with the track as opposed to on top of it, and he is one of the rare few to master quality grime hooks. Last year alone he worked with the likes of Kahn, Faze Miyake and Flava D delivering some of the best grime vocals to surface including ‘Donny Don’, ‘Flushing MCs’ and ‘Lord of the Hypes’ with Discarda. Also a regular on radio and in the clubs, his live performances are in high demand.
And this year promises a whole lot more…With a slew of new material being readied for release imminently, you would do well to keep a keen eye on his movements. He is guaranteed to bring pure energy alongside Pedro 123 at LS04.
First up, for those that don’t know can you please introduce yourself?
I’m MIK aka the baddest mic man on Planet earth.
Taking it back to the start briefly, when did you first hear grime? And what was it about it that drew you in?
I’d say I really got into grime around the time that Pay As You Go Crew first released ‘Know We’. The first thing that drew me in was the raw element of the sound and the lyrics of the MCs, I felt at the time I could really relate to them.
When did you start spitting? Was there anything in particular that spurred you on to do so?
Ah mate I can’t even remember when I started it was that long ago trust me, but the reason I actually made a go of it was my friend who was an MC at the time told me to write a lyric so I did, he heard it and said it was good so I just kept at it I guess.
You are affiliated with Family Tree. Can you explain a bit about the crew and how you hooked up with them?
Yeah basically there’s 6 of us, Myself, Ego, TKO, Merky Ace, Shifman and Faze Miyake who’s a Producer. I kind of already knew Shif, Merky and TK from just being around the area, I met Ego at studio a few times then we just came together to make Family Tree really.
How would you sum up your vibe lyrically?
Simple, Hype, Witty and Cocky (No Homo)
You have jumped on a pretty wide variety of beats and are not afraid to work with a range of producers. What do you look for in an instrumental?
HYPE, HYPE and HYPE so basically nothing but bangers, if the beat ain’t banging I won’t bother with it, not unless its for a project or somthing.
You upped levels last year with a slew of releases, working with a lot of new producers. Anyone whose beats you are really feeling at the moment?
Erm at the moment I’d im liking the sounds of Teddy, Faze, Splurt, Kahn, Kito, Skrillex, Flava D, Royal T, Asa, Spooky & DOK.
What projects and releases have you got coming up over the next few months that people should know about?
I’ve got a a lot things lined up but no release dates so your best bet would be to follow me on Twitter to keep up to date.
What can we expect from your set at Liminal Sounds?
Nothing but good Vibes man!
-Catch M.I.K. playing at LS04 @ Rhythm Factory on Fri 20th April alongside Slimzee, Youngstar, Slackk, Pedro 123 + more