MIKE’s Top 10 Songs

MIKE is a product of the world, and it shows through his music. While he now calls Brooklyn home, the rapper was raised in New Jersey, Philadelphia, England and the Bronx. He’s a combination of East Coast lyricism and United Kingdom unorthodoxy, topped with a flow that shouldn’t work. And yet it does. His desire to play by his own rules is matched only by his attention to detail. That talent generated a buzz that’s almost deafening now with his music more readily accessible.

With that in mind, and with him currently on tour, we figured this is the perfect time to drop our 10 best MIKE songs.

10. “neverKnocked”

There are only a handful of artists who can talk about their trauma so potently and yet so detached. “neverKnocked” is one verse and runs for about three minutes, but MIKE follows GZA’s doctrine to a tee: make it brief; half short, twice strong. MIKE opens this one verse with the customary trash talk associated with East Coast rap, layered with wordplay about why he’s simply better than everyone else. But then he pushes all that aside for some introspection. “I was born around the time when they chipped pumpkin/ Brodie, I was sick, running/ Days when I was really in the crib hungry/ Really ‘bout to lick something.” He packs a lot in those four bars. “neverKnocked” isn’t the most dynamic song on this list, but it is the most potent. It tells a new listener all they need to know about the native New Yorker.

9. “goin truuu”

There are pros and cons of having a signature flow, especially one like MIKE. On “goin truuu,” MIKE shows he can flow with anyone, eschewing his usual style for a double time speed that keeps perfect pacing with the soulful beat. It’s an appropriate introduction to a guy unafraid to let his pen go in different directions. He even drops a line about Potbelly’s social media account getting glib about the government shutting down in 2019. That is how MIKE’s mind works.

8. “no, no”

MIKE sounds best over soulful beats. “no, no” picks up the pace flow-wise and wears its heart on its considerably short sleeve. MIKE’s way of speaking on trials and tribulations without dwelling on them gives this joint replay value. It’s all context clues (“Started picking up these habits at an early age/ Gettin’ faded in the madness just to cure the pain”) or cryptic lines with a built-in IYKYK factor. He mourns his mother’s passing, shoutouts his brother, talks about backstabbers, considers his ultimate fate, and even touches on what sounds like slight depression. “no, no” is a bunch of broad strokes that seem disconnected but create a fully-fleshed out final work of art.

7. “allstar”

This is Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo as a song; it’s disorienting from the first second until the last. But it’s so hypnotic that it stands out among several MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt collaborations. MIKE sets it off with a verse that’s melodic but his version of the term. He hits his usual favorite topics, including blowing trees with his people and paranoia, then passes the baton to Earl. There’s no hook; there’s barely an intro. Neither of them is in the beat’s pocket yet they never sound offbeat. It’s an incredible magic trick that defies previously known rap logic.

6. “Lossless”

Leave it to The Alchemist to bring out the best in someone. One of many Super Friend team-ups between MIKE and Uncle Al, “Lossless” is ominous and threatening but still inviting. It’s also MIKE incredibly finding rhymes and patterns where none seemingly exist. Even when he stutters during the song, it works to his advantage. It’s another self-effacing moment for a guy who is just as likely to smoke with you as he is to punch a hole through your chest. “Lossless” juxtaposes all those contradictions and creates beautiful art in the process.

5. “Bless”

If the previous entry showcased a relaxed MIKE and The Alchemist connection, “Bless” is on the other side. The beat isn’t aggressive, but MIKE’s flow is urgent. He starts the verse then realizes he’s not ready, so he starts again. He weaves in and out of piano loops with the skill of an Olympic-level Double Dutcher. That technical skill usually masks some of the darker themes at play in MIKE’s rhymes, but it accentuates them on this track. He shares the spotlight with Sideshow, with each rapper offering one verse to the proceedings. MIKE shines the brightest, however, as he shows just how much he benefits from working with The Alchemist.

4. “Then we could be free..”

This 2025 track is one of the newer joints on this list, 2025’s, but it’s not recency bias. This is MIKE near his apex; fully formed and smelling all the flowers that finally came his way. How does that fame and respect change someone? In MIKE’s case, it makes him daydream about getting away for a bit. Starting any song with the stark imagery of being on a slave ship and feeling the waves of the sea definitely sets a mood. But it’s all to a point; despite all the success, the problems and stresses only magnify. “I gotta wear the weight on my sleeve like a bracelet” is a profound bar. He couldn’t make this song before this moment because this wasn’t a pain he understood. Now that he does, it feels perfect for this moment in time.

3. “Burning Desire”

One thing not mentioned so far is that MIKE makes his own beats under the alias DJ Blackpower. It’s an added effect that makes songs like “Burning Desire” richer. MIKE knows what he wants to rap over, so he provides that for his own spin on the traditional East Coast sound. The sample and the background vocals give his words extra weight. This song finds him wondering about the day he falls off, amongst other things. But a beat like this is necessary for this subject matter. It entices the listener and acts as a Trojan Horse. MIKE wrestles the beat into submission and makes it fit his subject matter rather than the reverse.

2. “Golden Hour”

Any song with Larry June is going to hover near the top of any list. June’s presence lends “Golden Hour” a celebratory feel not always found in MIKE’s music. MIKE’s opening line, “Spend it fast and get it back quicker,” is the American Dream and should be etched in important statues around the country. This song finds him at strip clubs, being “unclassy” in California, talking tough to fake thugs and running with a crew he loves dearly. This is MIKE relating to the listener by being “normal.” Sometimes it’s no deeper than two dope rappers on the same track trying to outdo each other while also showing their love for one another. That simple formula makes “Golden Hour” one of MIKE’s best songs and one of his most accessible.

1. “Hunger”

This is MIKE’s thesis statement. The adeptness at rhyme schemes and fitting syllables into spaces to which they do not belong? Here in abundance. His penchant for making somewhat dark subject matter sound uplifting? Also here. And the soulful beat that betrays the beating heart that resides under lines like “I hit the curb to get this bread thicker” or “run a fade if the shoe fitting?” Present and accounted for. “Hunger” is more than just a song in this man’s catalog—it’s the MIKE Rosetta Stone. It also shows he came to the rap game fully formed. There are more straightforward ways to say “New York City is filled with treacherous people who want to use you and abuse you” but he went with “city like a sea, n—s leeching on your soul.” “Hunger” uses words the way painters use brushes and colors.. For all these reasons, “Hunger” sits at the top of this list. It’s a must-listen for fans, both new and old.

Tickets for MIKE’s 2025 tour dates are available now on Ticketmaster.