Interview: Mikkey Halsted

Mikkey Halsted started his career the way most emerging Chicago emcee’s dream about – getting his first demo produced by Kanye West.

West’s production, coupled with Mikkey’s lyrical skills, helped him land a deal with Cash Money Records where he became featured on seven Cash Money releases, and perform on several major tours throughout the country.

This time at CMR, as well as other short-lived record deals, helped the emcee bring his music and style to a great deal of fans.

Currently, Mikkey is gearing ‘em up for his independent debut with the upcoming album, The Dark Room.  After the release he’ll be looking to sign another Major deal in the hopes of furthering his growing buzz.

If you’re new to Mikkey’s style, I suggest you watch the video for “The Liquor Store,” before checking out our interview.  This powerful video is what often turns people on to his music.

Mikkey Halsted – “Liquor Store”

Mikkey speaks to the hood liquor stores with:

“You’re just a blood sucker of the poor,
You don’t love us,
How you expect us to trust you, you don’t trust us,
Your a leech on the black neck,
So next time I might just greet you with this black tec,
Check me out,
You don’t open up in China Town, you can’t come there,
In Greek town, they don’t let your ass sell a crumb there,
I ride through the white hood, I don’t see you,
Why you ain’t got no stores there? White people drink too,
Where do you live? Where your kids go to school?
You open up there too? Or are we just the fools?
I know you think that we stupid and you think that we clowns,
But we reserve the right to shut your ass down.”

There’s a lot of emotion put into this powerful song.

HipHopAtLunch.com caught up with Mikkey Halsted while he was in town for the Leaders of the New Cool concert series. We spoke to Mikkey about his upcoming album, The Dark Room, filming the video for “On My Own” with Freddie Gibbs, and the new Chicago super-group of Rhymefest, J.U.I.C.E., Twone Gabz, and himself.

Mikkey Halsted saying that he’s been pregnant with songs for the past three years had to be the funniest part of any interview I’ve done.  I just hope, along with Mikkey, that he doesn’t birth an ugly baby, ha!

Be on the lookout for a project dropping soon from Mikkey and the rest of the new Chicago super-group of Rhymefest, J.U.I.C.E., and Twone Gabz.  The group was spawned off the “Revenge” track that they recorded for DJ Jay Illa’s Revenge of the Backpacks 2: Welcome To Chicago mixtape.

I agree that artists can’t be lazy and need to stay in the public’s eye.  Having said that, I was happy to see the Chicago and Gary, Indiana connection on the video for “On My Own,” where we’re taken into Halsted’s and Freddie Gibbs‘ homes.

Freddie Gibbs & Mikkey Halsted – “On My Own”

These two sound good together; I hope this isn’t the last collaboration we see!  Mikkey spits my favorite lines off the track with:

“Started on 72nd and Vincennes,
Where momma used a dresser drawer for my baby crib,
Guess that’s exhibit A of get it how you live.
You know poverty breeds the most creative shit…
Take your own path,
Fuck if people don’t feel ya,
The only man you answer to is the nigga in the mirror.
I’m on my own.”

Poverty has definitely bred some of the world’s most creative people, especially in regards to hip hop.

Mikkey’s latest project, The Best You Never Heard, was released a little less than a month ago and aimed to educate those unfamiliar with his work.  The tape contained a collection of new, old, and unreleased material dating from his time with Kanye West to the recent work he did with No I.D.

Here’s a standout track from the tape:

Mikkey Halsted – “Paper Lines”

Mikkey does exactly what the hook suggests in the first verse and puts his life into rhymes.

“I’m not a smoker not a drinker I’m a thinker,
Cause being off your square only makes a nigga weaker.
And when life gets harder your addiction gets deeper.
Next thing you know you’re too low for help to reach ya,
I’ve never been a follower always been a leader,
All alone in this jungle just me and my millimeter,
Back before I had the beamer,
I had ‘em runnin like cheetahs,
Flaggin like birds kept em comin like sub subpoenas,
we was ballin in the club, Courvoisier by the liter,
But when the money ran out they left me stranded like FEMA,
That’s when I found God, see you can ask Kristina,
The grass on my side of the fence started looking greener.”

Continue listening to the track to hear him speak on his family.

Some of my favorite lines off the tape come on “I’m the Man” where Mikkey spits, “give me my respect or draw that 40-Cal higher/  hit your neck and your back/  flow nastier than Khia,” and “stop sneak dissin, nigga be a man/  How you gonna hate me now/  you was my biggest Stan.”

Shout out to @KamYeWest and Jessica for providing the sick photo used at the beginning of this post! 2010 is going to be a good year for Mikkey!