Mike D’s unexpected solo era keeps getting more and more interesting. Two weeks after releasing the loose, genre-blurring “Switch Up,” his first official solo music outside the Beastie Boys universe, the rapper has returned with another new track, “What We Got,” which will likely put a big smile on the faces of his longtime fans.
The cut evokes the banging beats, weirdo samples and in-your-face guitar fuzz of Ill Communication/”The Skills to Pay the Bills”-era Beasties sonics, with Mike D’s unmistakable flow in fine form. “Stuck in our minds / replay it / those times that could have been different / same thing happened / did you listen?,” he raps ahead of a left-field, super-vibe-y breakdown.
The sessions behind the new material have included contributions from Mike’s sons Davis and Skyler alongside collaborators Jason Lader, Benjamin Pacheco, Kevin Rhomberg, Carter Lang, and Tyran Donaldson, with production handled by Lang and Donaldson and mixing by Derek “MixedByAli” Ali.
The release arrives amid Mike D’s gradual and somewhat unlikely return to live performance for the first time since Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch died of cancer in 2012. The artist has been opting for intimate pop-up performances in unconventional spaces like surf shops, roller rinks, dance halls and community venues, during which he’s delighted audiences with nods to his Beastie Boys discography.
The shows have found him backed by his kids and their band Very Nice Person, and they continue tonight (May 22) and tomorrow at Brooklyn roller rink Xanadu. Mike D will then head overseas for his first-ever European solo dates, including stops in London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris and Primavera Sound Porto.
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