Album Notes

He’s 10 times platinum. Do you know MIKE-E?

MIKE-E is a multi-faceted entertainer of profound measure: international rap and spoken word artist, stage and screen actor, philanthropist and youth motivator. The Detroit-based lyricist is a repeat performer on HBO’s hit show Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and helped lead the Detroit Slam Team to the 2002 National Slam Poetry Championship. As a recording artist, MIKE-E enjoys popularity throughout the African Diaspora and nationwide recognition in his birthplace, Ethiopia, where his single and video “Ethiopia (Everything Will Be Alright)” is one the country’s most popular hits.

Actually, ten times platinum is how MIKE-E describes the fulfillment he experienced when a group of children emerged from the Nile river in Ethiopia singing his song and screaming the affectionate nickname the nation has given him, “Micky, Micky, Micky #1!” MIKE-E’s African roots run deep evidenced by the volunteer work he does for the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA), a non-profit organization striving to improve healthcare access and delivery in Ethiopia. Mike spearheads ENAHPA’s HIV/AIDS Orphan Outreach efforts and contributes to the organization’s fundraising initiatives. He is also involved in several Detroit youth programs.

MIKE-E has appeared in national urban apparel ads within the pages of leading urban lifestyle magazines including XXL, THE SOURCE, SLAM, VIBE, COMPLEX and ROLLING OUT. Detroit’s METRO TIMES once wrote, “He looks like a model, talks like an activist…he’s the type of cat folks get mad at just for having the whole package. But dude’s too focused to pay attention.” MIKE-E’s acting credits include the stage classic "A Soldiers Play,” theater productions "Free Fall" and "Full Circle,” the motion picture "Standing in the Shadows of Motown” and several independent projects, numerous television commercials, and voice-overs for countless radio ads and national concert tours.

MIKE-E is teaming with the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (ACS) to present The 2007 AFROFLOW TOUR, as part of an anti-tobacco initiative aimed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States. This relentless high energy concert features MIKE-E unleashing his thought provoking, unflinching style enforced by a live band, African drummers, dancers and a DJ. Flashing a raspy delivery that straddles rhythmic cadence and spoken word, the thought-provoking emcee attacks simple, social and political issues with skill and poetic ease. On the Fela Kuti meets break beat anthem, "Get Into This", Mike-E asserts:

Hip-hop debates about the greats create a lot of hype / Its not too late to set it straight the best to rock a mic / Is not who you think, its gotta be Dr. King / Cause nothin that a rapper drops will ever top I Have A Dream!

Stay tuned to find out when and where you can witness the AFROFLOW EXPERIENCE Live!

“I don’t flow for street credibility, cause the streets need hope more than I need credibility.”
MIKE-E