Monster Mike • Known as Lil Sleezy
Monster Mike is a name that has been active in the Chicago hip-hop world for quite some time. Acting as a member of both The Village (with Alex Wiley, Kembe X, Jean Deaux, and more) and 197 (with Lucki Eck$, Plu2o Nash, and more), Monster Mike is a seasoned veteran despite having never released a proper project.
He's been teasing a debut full-length for years, and other than a compilation of scrapped tracks and b-sides, as well as a constant stream of loose singles, he hasn't properly packaged anything. That all changed on Super Bowl Sunday, when Mike aka Lil' Sleezy decided to release his first official EP properly titled Known as Lil Sleezy. The seven song project comes complete with three bonus tracks, including two freestyles and an MGMT “Electric Feel” cover. Kolby Woods makes a great appearance on the track "All That, Part 2", thus revitalizing the Mike/Kolby duo known as IWDAFY (I Was Drunk as Fuck Yesterday). Hell yes.
Linus handles a large chunk of the production here, as Plu2o Nash, Mayhem Meech, and Frank Leone all make production appearances. I still need to fully digest this EP, but I'm already loving it. It's great to finally have a Monster Mike project for the car. Blast this project one time and find yourself getting a face tat. There's a reason that Mike has RapGenius tattooed on his neck.
