MP3: Mikey Dollaz – “High As Air” (Produced by Sega Bodega)

The Hard-Hitting Drill Rapper and the Scottish Club Producer Join Forces

08.22.2016

Critical Praise:

“The waviest shit I’ve heard all year.” – MTV

“There’s something in the water in Chicago. The energy that a lot of their artists come with can be infectious (Chance the Rapper), grimy (L.E.P. Bogus Boys-R.I.P.), or in your face raw. Mikey Dollaz can be seen as the new ambassador for the last variety.” – Mass Appeal

“Mikey Dollaz has emerged as one of Chicago’s most promising new talents, especially for his genre-spanning ability.” – HotNewHipHop

“Picture Me Rollin’ documents Mikey Dollaz as a major player in the street rap scene” – Dummy Mag

“Mikey Dollaz is making some major moves to push the drill sound beyond the confines of the Windy City.” – Complex

The Song:

“Trippy stuff” is how reddit’s hiphopheads admin describes Chicago rapper Mikey Dollaz, with his exquisite ear for beats: he often finds the most avant-garde and experimental electronic beats to attack with his aggressive bars. Today, Mikey Dollaz releases both the single “High As Air,” a collaboration with acclaimed Glaswegian producer Sega Bodega, and an accompanying music video. On “High As Air,” premiered today by reddit’s supremely active hip hop subreddit, rhiphopheads, Sega Bodega channels his namesake, creating a backdrop suitable for a particularly difficult level of Sonic The Hedgehog, while Mikey attacks the track with a brutal, stopping-and-starting flow. The result is a singularly wavy Mikey Dollaz track, blending the rap styles of his hometown with the most innovative sounds in electronic club music. “The thing I love about the beat is that it’s real hard, it’s real strong,” Mikey Dollaz explains. “Everything [Sega Bodega] did with the beat was perfect. If you turn that beat on, you’re gonna automatically wanna write to it.”

“High As Air” continues a very busy 2016 for the prolific artist, as it follows July’s drug-addled videos for “Problem,” premiered by ThisIs50, and “Hot 16,” which premiered at Dirty Glove Bastard and was praised by HipHopDX as “an invigorating ride.” In June, Mikey Dollaz released his Good Music Gone Bad mixtape, flexing an aggressive and percussive, yet nimble flow over production by Chicago producer Saint the Good Boy. On Good Music Gone Bad, Saint and Mikey Dollaz make hard-hitting, menacing street music for the block and the club.

Prior to the release of Good Music Gone Bad, Mikey Dollaz shared a video for the sinister “Street Symphony“featuring GuGu, I.L. Will and JB Bin Laden, as well as a visual for the shimmering synth slow-burner “Any Given Sunday“, a short clip directed by DaDaCreative which artfully details a day in the life on the West Side of Chicago for Mikey Dollaz. The Chicago heavy hitter dropped his “Commas” visual last month, which MTV called “the waviest shit I’ve heard all year” while naming his Picture Me Rollin project one of 2016’s most underappreciated albums so far. A versatile lyricist, Mikey Dollaz has worked with an impressive range of genre-bending producers including SALVA, Sonny Digital, and Obey City to create trap ballads and electronic-influenced bangers alike. “My sound really isn’t inspired by any place or person,” Mikey Dollaz explains. “But drugs play a big role in how my music sounds. You can tell how high I am off the energy of my music. When I first started rapping I always recorded on drugs, so that’s what I was kind of used to and stuck on.”

Listen to “High As Air” (prod. by Sega Bodega): https://soundcloud.com/mikey-dollaz-1/high-as-air-prod-by-sega-bodega/s-UKfRo

Read reddit’s premiere: https://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopheads/comments/4z18ug/fresh_mikey_dollaz_high_as_air_official_video/

Watch the “High As Air” Video: https://youtu.be/Xxb2oXdAGUs

Listen to Good Music Gone Bad: https://soundcloud.com/mikey-dollaz-1/sets/good-music-gone-bad-1

Download Good Music Gone Bad: http://indy.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/40066/mikey-dollaz-good-music-gone-bad.html

Please contact Michelle or Dharmic for more info.

Mikey Dollaz Background:

To watch Chicago’s Mikey Dollaz is to see an artist’s vision coming into focus in real time. In less than three short years, he’s grown from a competent drill rapper to a versatile lyricist. He sometimes picks themes for entire projects to keep himself on mission: the titles of Sex Music, Music on Drugz and the three Street Life tapes speak for themselves. He literally has more talent than he knows what to do with. In 2016, Mikey Dollaz finds himself established and ready to make a statement as an artist. Done workshopping his flows and test-driving various styles, he’s ready to break out of the midwest and reach for national acclaim with a proper album. Only a couple of years into his career, it’s clear Mikey is yet to reach the limit of his potential.