MIKE Showbiz!

This sprawling 24-track Hip Hop odyssey from Brooklyn-based MIKE was one of January’s two strongest releases in the genre — the other being Philly rapper Ghais Guevara’s Goyard Ibn Said (Fat Possum). Both are idiosyncratic, ambitious, and ultimately flawed records that are still highly recommended.

More than anyone else from his generation of MCs, MIKE reminds me of the late great MF DOOM, not necessarily sonically, but in terms of spirit, style, and his affinity for capitalisation. The way Showbiz! dashes from track to track, with samples explored briefly and then tossed aside, is also evocative of J Dilla’s seminal Donuts.

I'm not one to drop DOOM and J Dilla references lightly, but I should also stress that Showbiz! isn't quite up to those lofty standards. While it has its moments (Then We Could Be Free.. is a particular highlight), not everything works here and I found my attention wandering at times. But it is bursting with promise and MIKE's arrival feels both imminent and inevitable.