Killer Mike found himself spending some major moolah while working on his sixth studio album, Michael, racking up a $500,000 bill trying to bring it to life.
During a new interview with Spin, Mike opened up about the album, his early upbringing, politics, race, and more.
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When addressing the process of creating his forthcoming project, the Run The Jewels rapper admitted it took a while (and a lot of money) until things actually materialized.
According to him, the album started as a joint project between him and a former collaborator, Cuz Lightyear, a rapper from Arkansas. However, plans changed as Lightyear took on the role of record executive at Mass Appeal Records. As Mike revealed, his friend suggested he make a solo project instead, and he would do his best to support him.
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“So me and Cuz double round, like, all right, let’s just make a mixtape. We’ll put it out through Mass Appeal, that way, it’ll help get you get going over there. We start working, and Cuz was like, ‘Man, we are making some serious deadly records. I’m gonna tell you what we’re gonna do: your solo record. I’m about to pause my career. And we’re gonna get your solo record together.'”
This was the moment that Michael was born: “It was a Christlike thing to do,” Mike said.
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With a reimagined vision and prolific producer, No ID hopping aboard to executive produce, the rapper was on his way. Eventually, Cuz Lightyear would step in as A&R on the project, but with that came a hefty price tag that the rapper had to pay out of pocket.
At least half a million dollars was spent, Mike said. On the other hand, thanks to a distribution deal with Loma Vista Records, he was able to get back what he had invested in the album through the advance from the deal — which couldn’t have come soon enough as Mike’s wife, Shay Render, began to worry.
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“What the fuck we doing buddy?” was Shay’s question to Mike as the Michael tab continued to skyrocket. “She’s like, ‘Well n-gga, I’m glad you being reimbursed ’cause I got some issues that you spending half-a-million fucking dollars on a dream project,’” Mike heartily laughs.
Michael is set to be released on June 16 and boasts features from André 3000, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, El-P, Dave Chappelle, and more.
Speaking of the Three Stacks feature, the OutKast legend apparently wanted to pull the guest verse from the album — until he heard the final version and was amazed by what he heard from Detroit-bred singer, Eryn Allen Kane, who sings the hook on the track.
“André 3000, he’s in Japan right now as we talk, playing the flute,” Mike explained in a video from his recent listening session. “He called me, he’s like, ‘Kill, I don’t know about the song, man. We just got a good rap record, man.’
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“And then Cuz [Lightyear] was like, ‘You sent him the final record?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ I sent it over with Eryn’s hook and stuff. He hit back with, ‘Yeah, yeah, you got the record. Who is that?!’”
He added: “So thank you, Eryn, I really appreciate you for that.”
