Mike

On June 21, 2019, Bonema released Tears of Joy and Weight of the World on June 21, 2020. On October 31, 2020, Bonema released his debut EP blp2020: "king of the night" under the alias dj blackpower. A second EP under the same alias, titled blp2021: "for ur own good", was released in early 2021.

Bonema then released several follow-up projects, including Black Soap in May 2018, quickly followed by Renaissance Man in June 2018 and War in My Pen in January 2019. He has continued to gain external interest from the likes of Pitchfork, The Fader and The New Yorker for his lyricism, music production and cultural influence.

Bonema started working on a new mixtape, initially called By The Water, towards the beginning of 2017. He delayed the project due to artistic challenges, stating he wanted the project to reflect who he was, but was struggling as his "mind wasn't in the right place" and he felt like he wasn't being true to himself. Bonema's mother inadvertently motivated him to restart work on the project, as she posted "May God Bless Your Hustle" on his Instagram. He states that his mother's phrase perfectly summarized his situation, as he knew he was struggling with his independent life in New York City, but also knew his extended support network was continuously sending him "blessings", "gifts" and "positive energy".

Bonema also learned to produce music in 2016, as his friend and fellow Slums member, Sixpress, taught him how to use the Ableton software. He says it was important as it allowed him to take full creative control of his music and be able to "100 percent" reflect and express what he was feeling.

Bonema launched his professional career via his Bandcamp page in 2015. He gained interest from listeners, journalists and industry executives alike as he released several short-run EPs, his first critically reviewed mixtape, Winter New York, and his first full-length project, Longest Day, Shortest Night. Bonema then experienced a break-out year in 2017, as he became recognised within hip hop circles via his first self-produced project, entitled May God Bless Your Hustle, in June 2017.

Bonema continued to work on the project throughout the year, recording half of the songs at his home in Bedford–Stuyvesant whilst recording the other half at XL Recordings in Lower Manhattan. In June, he released the completed project as a pay what you want download on his Bandcamp, thanking several people within his support network, including his mother, father, sisters, Sweatshirt and members of Slums, for their contributions.

In 2010, upon Bonema's return to Philadelphia, he began to gain a more comprehensive interest in the culture behind hip-hop. He began to familiarise himself with the emerging American hip-hop scene, stating he studied the works of artists like Chance the Rapper, Drake and Lil Wayne. Bonema recorded his first ever song, a cover of MF Doom and Madlib's underground hit 'All Caps', in 2012. Bonema reflects on the song as being inspired by his lifestyle in Philadelphia, having an aggressive vocal energy and acting as a simple exercise in discovering how to express himself as a 14-year-old. As Bonema grew older, he began to develop his own tastes in hip-hop and started following artists like Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and other members of the Odd Future collective. By 2013, Bonema started to take hip-hop more seriously, and began releasing music, emailing journalists within the industry and directly communicating with record executives.

Whilst living in England in 2008, a young Bonema first gained interest in hip-hop by watching the music videos of Skepta, Chipmunk and N-Dubz with his mother and older sisters. He also states that he was surrounded by Contemporary R&B artists like Chingy and Bow Wow in his early life, as he "lived in a house with lots of girls".

Michael Jordan Bonema (born October 19, 1998), known professionally as MIKE, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer based in New York City. Bonema's non-typical upbringing, having experienced life in Livingston, London, Essex, Philadelphia and New York City, has had an audible influence on his diverse and experimental music style.