By: Miguel Gonzales<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Christmas came early on March 9th, as the natural white LED lights wrapped around several trees on Mass Ave and the bubbly, giddy crowd waiting in line to see New York rapper MIKE\u2019s sold-out show set the mood for a busy yet buzzing night at The Middle East. The anticipation was massive for the right reasons, as this was the first show kicking off MIKE\u2019s North American Ipari Park tour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n MIKE has been on a steady roll releasing full-length albums and mixtapes back-to-back on his Bandcamp since <\/span>2015<\/span><\/a>, who is currently coming off from his last year\u2019s critically acclaimed album, <\/span>Beware of the Monkey<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Opening for artists like <\/span>Freddie Gibbs<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Earl Sweatshirt<\/span><\/a>, MIKE has become a prominent figure in the underground hip-hop scene over time. His brand of stream-of-conscious rap that taps into his up-front vulnerability paired with beats that are abstractly collaged together with sample chops ranging from R&B, soul and jazz kept listeners keeping an eye on MIKE over the years. The large turn-out and overwhelming positivity for the show is concrete proof of that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There was already a lot happening in the line, and the show had not even started. Young, enthusiastic rapheads from their teens to mid-twenties were wrapped around in line sporting streetwear clothing like <\/span>Stray Rats<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Golf le Fleur<\/span><\/a>, chattering about topics like their favorite East Coast rappers and favorite cereal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A surprise appearance from Roxbury legend <\/span>Uncle Rick<\/span><\/a> saw him rapping to those who were waiting by the entrance keeping the crowd engaged, performing one of his originals called \u201cTick Tock.\u201d Even old guys in their mid-50s still wearing studded leather jackets looked confused when they ended up in the wrong line, trying to justify to an employee they were in the right line and to \u201csearch up the location of the show on the Facebook search engine.\u201d (<\/span>Rotting Christ<\/span><\/a> was playing downstairs at The Middle East the same night.)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even with the puzzled metalheads trying to find the right show and a delayed 45-minute start to fit everyone in the very compact and dim venue, the patient crowd did not mind one bit.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Opening for the night\u2019s show at around 8:50 PM was Kissimmee, Florida rapper Niontay, performing a brief 20-minute set that had the crowd bobbing their heads in unison and getting them to chant multiple \u201cooh yeahs\u201d when performing \u201cBlitzBerg\u201d and multiple \u201crun aways\u201d for \u201cRunaway.\u201d Niontay also played unreleased material during the set.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was difficult to hear his vocals at times as the volume for the microphone was low, but his playful attitude was so engrossing that it made his performance worthwhile. His entertaining bars felt so in-character with the fast-paced and uniquely futuristic Detroit trap beats he had in store, playing them using Ableton on his MacBook Air, his on-stage banter making his set a hilarious time.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShoutout to Ableton,\u201d Niontay said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Niontay\u2019s stage presence had everyone thrilled, setting up the continuous positive aura for New York-via-Florida rapper and producer 454 who performed after Niontay. Jogging around the small stage with high-energy alongside Atelye Marc who was on DJ decks amplified the crowd much further, some of the audience forming a mosh pit in the middle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable too, as 454\u2019s production is dream-like and psychedelic leaving you in ethereal bliss. He opened his set with songs like \u201cANDRETTI\u201d, a fan favorite where his choruses and delivery are infectious enough to leave you with a sweet tooth. (I still can\u2019t get \u201cwe can square it out right in the middle of the deli\u201d out of my head.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cuts like \u201cICE AGE\u201d from his 2022 mixtape <\/span>FAST TRAX 3<\/span><\/a> captured the crowd at its most energetic, building up the momentum with a 10-second Y2K-esque atmospheric jungle break that sounds like it came straight from a PS2 game. The break transitioned flawlessly into the chorus along with a poppy, bubbly trap beat where the crowd screamed the lyrics word-for-word. It was so hype that the floor was reverberating from everyone jumping\u2013almost like a miniature earthquake that erupted.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At around 9:45 PM, the final set began when MIKE slowly walked up on stage, immediately greeted by a roar of applause giving him a warm welcome to Boston. New York producer Taka was handling the DJ decks for his set, casually sipping on a tall boy of Heineken while MIKE is blowing kisses and showing his appreciation to the audience\u2019s love and openers, a guy in response shouting out \u201cbig fuckin\u2019 MIKE\u201d twice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Facial expressions from the audience saw them already immersed by his presence, as he kicked off the start of his set with songs from <\/span>Beware of the Monkey<\/span><\/i> such as \u201cAs 4 Me\u201d, rapping effortlessly where he exercises his confidence with a sense of urgency underneath a looped soul sample. His introspective musings come alive\u2013his lyricism is compelling and emotionally charged that has the power to hit you deep, not only in his songs but through his bold conviction when rapping and the small gestures he makes during his live performance as well.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n