Beware Of The Monkey vinyl

Whether it be his eighth mixtape or tenth album (as fans, journalists and the interweb often disagree on the categorisations of his myriad projects), endlessly prolific MC and producer Michael Jordan Bonema, better known by his succinct stage-name MIKE, returns with one of his most mature and clearly visualised works to date. Beware Of The Monkey owes somewhat of a debt to Bonema's mentor Earl Sweatshirt; particularly his 2018 album Some Rap Songs, with both projects taking a chopped n' screwed approach to boom bap, intertwined with warped soul and r&b samples, whilst subtly highlighting the modern form of avant-garde outsider hip-hop which is burgeoning from the inside out. Fully self-produced under his dj blackpower alias, the LP is an exercise in abstract simplicity, evoking MF DOOM at his most challenging, yet all the while retaining a welcoming warmth that prevents the material from ever crossing over into impenetrable territory.