Released: October 13, 2023

Genre: Hip-hop

From: US

Label: 10k

Why you should listen: MIKE has consistently dropped incredible album after incredible album since 2017’s MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE. I’ve been consistently covering his music since War in my Pen, and to me he hasn’t missed yet. Burning Desire is his new album, and is one of his most sonically eclectic yet concise albums to date. Production, for the most part, is handled by himself as dj blackpower, with additional production from GAWD and Laron. With its 24 tracks and 51 minute runtime, it’s MIKE’s longest album to date, and also one of his most defined and complete projects. After the atmospheric spoken-word opener “Intro with Klein” featuring Klein, the album delves into flipped soul samples and chops that complement MIKE’s sluggish flow and meandering, personal lyrics about his own statae of mind, mental health, love and personal growth. There are so many highlights on the album, and as I mentioned in my Faith Is A Rock review (another recent album of his with Wiki and The Alchemist), he has really sharpened his pen, delivering some of his most poignant and intricate verses yet. On “Snake Charm”, one of my favourites on the album and produced by Laron, MIKE flows effortlessly with bars such as “I’ll be enclosed, give you tips on this culture ascent / For sure that rope getting thinner, I overextend / On the coast of repenting, I almost can swim / But I’m too focused on revenging the culprit again”. There’s so much to unpack with bars like this, but it’s the combination with the incredible production throughout that makes this such a great listen. Whether it’s the sluggish and slow “plz don’t cut my wings” featuring Earl Sweatshirt, the heavy distorted bass of “African Sex Freak Fantasy” produced by GAWD, the lush and gorgeous ” think Maybe?” featuring Liv.e and Venna, the tracks act like vignettes of MIKE’s frame of mind, with sonic experimentations that are flawlessly sequenced to make the album so easy to listen to and absorb. “98” is great, and the transition between the meandering and reversing synths of “Do You Believe?” and another personal favourite of mine “Burning Desire”, with an incredibly groovy beat and MIKE’s incredibly vulnerable and relatable lyrics. The soul sample on “THEY DON’T STOP IN THE RAIN with TAKA” featuring TAKA is another great moment on the album, with a lush soul sample and angelic synths and keys that add a lightness to the track. On “Sixteens”, MIKE spits “A broken family’ll crumble on your big dreams / The struggles of the missed king / Not knowin’ who to grapple when the ship sink / I can’t act, what would sis’ think? / I’m bringin’ trouble, every castle get the Blitzkrieg”, another standout track. “should be!” with Lila Ramani is atmospheric, stunning and incredibly emotive, while “Golden Hour” has a surprising Larry June feature, who fits effortlessly within the soulful and almost disorienting beat. “Let’s Have a Ball” is a fitting and beautiful way to close the album out with a reflective verse from MIKE and a stunning feature from mark williams lewis, London-based artists I am checking out asap. This low, almost monotonous register of his voice fits the soulful energy of the track perfectly.

With Burning Desire, MIKE has released another beautiful, reflective and sonically eclectic album, combining his raw but soulful and reflective production with more introspection on his own life and experiences than ever before.

The album: