Michael (Killer Mike album)

Michael (stylized in all caps) is the sixth studio album by American rapper Killer Mike, released through VLNS and Loma Vista Recordings on June 16, 2023. It marks Killer Mike's first solo studio record in 11 years, following 2012's R.A.P. Music, and includes collaborations with CeeLo Green, Mozzy, Young Thug, 6lack, Eryn Allen Kane, Jagged Edge, André 3000, Future, Currensy, 2 Chainz, Kaash Paige, Blxst, Fabo, El-P and Ty Dolla Sign. It received positive critic reviews and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2024.

Michael
Studio album by Killer Mike
Released	June 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)
Genre	Southern hip hop
Length	53:44
Label	VLNS Loma Vista
Producer	André 3000 Beat Butcha James Blake Don Cannon Cool & Dre Cory Mo DJ Paul El-P Honorable C.N.O.T.E. Little Shalimar No I.D. Tec Beatz Twhy Xclusive Willy Will Yanez MenaceTheDJ J. Rhodes Julian Cruz SKUFL Travagant Obj Nwadije
Killer Mike chronology
R.A.P. Music (2012) Michael (2023) Songs for Sinners & Saints (2024)

Background

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Killer Mike called the album both his "come home moment musically", due to it being influenced by gospel, soul, funk and hip hop, and his "submission to God, like, 'Okay, you got me.'" He also characterized it as his way of honoring "the civil rights movement, the abolitionist movement, which gave us some of the most beautiful music ever".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10
Metacritic	77/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
DIY
Evening Standard
musicOMH
Pitchfork	6.5/10
Slant Magazine

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Michael received an average score of 77 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.

Ed Lawson of DIY called it a "sonically rich record that is likely to reveal yet more on each listen" as "there's something about the vignettes he paints on Michael [...] that suggests that while he's seemed an open book so far, there's still plenty for him to reveal". Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves felt that "despite the sometimes-overwrought musical backdrop, Killer Mike remains an incisive and compelling lyricist who confidently takes Michael into unexpected places" and that the rapper "focuses on his personal life, particularly his late mother and grandmother, with uncharacteristic empathy and restraint, even as he continues to utilize his uniquely brusque vocal style".

David Smyth of the Evening Standard opined that "here [Killer Mike is] still vivid and passionate on what it means to be a black man today, but now with a more personal slant". Smyth also found there to be "a few more commercial moments, such as what counts nowadays as a rare guest appearance from Outkast's Andre 3000 over the futuristic synths of "Scientists & Engineers", and a skyscraping turn from another Atlanta man, CeeLo Green, on Down by Law. But this is really all about what it's like to be Mike, and it's a fascinating tale". Ben Devlin of musicOMH wrote that the album "delivers virtuosity, emotion and excellence" and that one of its "greatest achievements is that it's such a personal, heartfelt record despite so many other rappers and singers coming along for the ride".

Slant Magazine's Steve Erickson remarked that Michael "emphasizes Killer Mike's Atlanta heritage by harkening back to a style of Southern rap influenced by gospel, soul, and blues" and although most songs "rel[y] on a similar arrangement of choirs, pianos, and organs, which risks becoming tiresome, [...] its sonic divergence from most mainstream American hip-hop today is refreshing". Dylan Green of Pitchfork described the album as "an origin story that works best when it examines how worshiping at the altars of sex, money, and Jesus created the man we know today. But when he petulantly doubles down on critiques of his public persona and status as a Black multi-millionaire, the album is harder to stomach." Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson declared that, "Michael can get overbearing at times" but also noted that, "the production is generally stellar, and it's easily the rapper's most honest and emotional work."

Track listing

Michael track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Down by Law" (with CeeLo Green)	Michael Render Thomas Callaway Warryn Campbell Curtis Mayfield Damien Farmer III Cory Moore	Cory Mo Cal A[m]	3:31
2.	"Shed Tears" (with Mozzy)	Render Campbell Farmer Timothy Patterson Dion Wilson	No I.D.	4:49
3.	"Run" (featuring Young Thug and Dave Chappelle)	Render Dennis Brown Campbell Dave Chappelle Farmer Bryan Jones Jeffrey Williams II Wilson	No I.D.	4:45
4.	"Nrich" (featuring 6lack and Eryn Allen Kane)	Render Jones Eryn Allen Koehn Andre Lyon Bruce Smith Ricardo Valentine Jr. Marcello Valenzano	Cool & Dre	4:40
5.	"Talk'n That Shit!"	Render Paul Beauregard Tim Moore	DJ Paul Twhy Xclusive	2:54
6.	"Slummer" (with Jagged Edge)	Render Brian Casey Lyon Paul Nichols Valenzano Roger Williams	Cool & Dre	4:35
7.	"Scientists & Engineers" (with André 3000 featuring Future and Eryn Allen Kane)	Render Beuregard James Blake André Benjamin Moore Wilson	André 3000 DJ Paul Blake No I.D. Twhy Xclusive	4:13
8.	"Two Days" (with Ty Dolla Sign)	Render Donald Cannon	Don Cannon Cal A[m]	4:40
9.	"Spaceship Views" (with Currensy, 2 Chainz, and Kaash Paige)	Render Campbell Tauheed Epps Farmer Shante Franklin Carlton Mays Jr. D'Kyla Woolen	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	3:12
10.	"Exit 9" (with Blxst)	Render Matthew Burdette Campbell Eliot Dubock Farmer Will Yanez	Beat Butcha Willy Will Yanez	2:42
11.	"Something for Junkies" (with Fabo)	Render Campbell Cannon Farmer Louis Farrakhan Torbitt Schwartz Lefabian Williams	Cannon Little Shalimar No I.D.	4:38
12.	"Motherless" (with Eryn Allen Kane)	Render Campbell Farmer Koehn Wilson	No I.D.	3:53
13.	"Don't Let the Devil" (with El-P featuring Thankugoodsir)	Render Marshall Boxley Willie Cooper Harold Lilly Jaime Meline Schwartz Wilson	El-P Little Shalimar No I.D.	2:45
14.	"High & Holy" (with Ty Dolla Sign)	Render Campbell Farmer Jones Brandon Sewell	Tec Beatz	4:53
Total length:				53:44

Deluxe

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Yes!"	Render Jason Cannon Justin Rhodes Milton Biggam	MenaceTheDJ J.Rhodes	2:57
16.	"Maynard Vignette" (with T.I., JID, and Jacquees)	Render Clifford Harris Damien Romel Farmer III Jose Julian De La Cruz Rodriguez Jacquees Broadnax Campbell Widnick Prevalon	Julian Cruz SKUFL	4:48
17.	"Get Some Money"	Render Carlton Mays Jr Damien Romel Farmer III Campbell	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	3:41
18.	"Act Up" (with Young Nudy)	Render Alex Levesque Bryan Jones Cory Washington Kingsley Nwadije Tristan Robertson William Anspach	Travagant Obi Nwadije "Greasy" Wil Anspach	2:53
Total length:				68:03

Note

• ^{^[m]} signifies a music producer.

Personnel

Musicians

• Killer Mike – vocals
• Damien "Dammo" Farmer – bass guitar
• Agape Jerry – guitar
• Warryn Campbell – organ (tracks 1, 3), keyboards (2, 4, 6, 8–10, 12–14)
• CeeLo Green – vocals (1)
• Rico Wade – vocals (1)
• Jason McGee & the Choir – choir (2, 4, 6, 9)
• DJ Cutmaster Swiff – turntables (2, 6, 8, 11, 13)
• Mozzy – vocals (2)
• Fousheé – additional vocals (2, 6)
• Thankugoodsir – additional vocals (2, 6, 8, 9, 14)
• Dave Chappelle – vocals (3)
• Young Thug – vocals (3)
• 6lack – vocals (4)
• Eryn Allen Kane – vocals (4, 7, 12), additional vocals (6, 9)
• DJ Paul – additional vocals (5)
• Jagged Edge – additional vocals (6)
• André 3000 – vocals (7)
• Future – vocals (7)
• Ty Dolla Sign – vocals (8, 14)
• 2 Chainz – vocals (9)
• Currensy – vocals (9)
• Kaash Paige – vocals (9)
• Blxst – vocals (10)
• Fabo – vocals (11)
• El-P – vocals (13)

Technical

• Nicolas De Porcel – mastering
• Migui Maloles – mixing (1, 2, 4, 6, 8–14)
• Derek Ali – mixing (3, 5, 7)
• Cyrus Taghipour – mixing (3, 5, 7)
• Project Passion – engineering
• Wil Anspach – engineering
• James A. Kelso Jr. – engineering (1, 2, 4–14)
• Renegade El Rey – recording
• Ken Oriole - engineering (6, 7)
• Brandon Blatz – mixing assistance (1–6, 8–14)
• Sydney Wolfe – engineering assistance

Charts

Chart performance for Michael

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)	28
UK Album Downloads (OCC)	25
UK R&B Albums (OCC)	2
US Billboard 200	58
US Independent Albums (Billboard)	23
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	12