Born November 25, 1967 in Laurelton, Queens, New York City, New York. During the 1980’s, Hip Hop exploded in the five boroughs of New York City. In Jamaica Queens, you didn’t have to travel far to seek out a block party, house party or park jam where up and coming MC’s would go and display their skills on the microphone. Back then you had Mr. Cheeks, LL Cool J, Q-Tip, Biz Markie and other great MC’s that rocked crowds on a regular basis; There was another MC that shined as well – Mikey D.
At an early age, Mikey started out on the park jam circuit with the Clientele Brothers. [MC’s] Will Seville, Eddie O’ Jay along with Mean Gene were considered among the best at displaying real rhyme skills as a group similar to the Cold Crush Brothers and The Force MC’s (later renamed The Force MD’s). As a group, the Clientele Brothers were looking for the next hot MC – enter Playboy Mikey D. With Mikey, the group had the last ingredient and they definitely took the Queens park jam scene to the next level.
As Hip Hop phenomena grew in the mid 1980’s, the time came for the elusive record deal. In 1985, Mikey D along with the Symbolic Three signed to Reality Records. With Producers Ray (Professor KB) Romaine, Dr. Rhythm and Dr. Shock, songs like “No Show” (the answer to Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick’s “The Show”), along with “Treacherous” took underground radio by surprise. In 1986, Mikey D (and DJ Johnnie Quest) signed with Public Records and put out classics Like “Dawn,” “My Telephone,” and “Bust A Rhyme”. In 1987 he hit the industry with “I Get Rough” (B side “Go For it”) with legendary producer Paul C.
In 1988, Mikey’s career really got hot when he signed to Sleeping Bag Records. The record company was so enthused by the Queens battle legend’s reputation; they entered him into the New Music Seminar (Battle for World Supremacy). After battling several known and unknown rappers round by round – he faced Grand Master Melle Mel of the Furious Five. In front of stunned fans and industry insiders, Mikey D defeated the veteran MC and was proclaimed the best MC in the world (as he predicted in 1987’s ‘I Get Rough’). Later that year, he released “Out Of Control” and the wicked “Comin’ In The House”.
After taking some time off – In 1994 Mikey D was enlisted by the groundbreaking Main Source to replace their lead MC Large Professor. Mikey (along with K-Cut and Sir Scratch) hit the studio and recorded the sequel to “Breaking Atoms” entitled “F*ck What You Think”. Although another historic album was birthed, it was not released due to infighting between the record label and group management. After all of the chaos he had been through, the legendary rapper took a step back from the music he loved so much to focus on family, self and other matters.
Although Mikey D has been incognito for a while, he has never stopped perfecting his craft. He can always be found droppin’ a hot verse (in a cipher or recording studio), working with up and coming rappers and most of all – focusing on the future. There is one thing you can count on; true lyrical skills are coming back courtesy of the UNDERGROUND, PARK JAM and HIP HOP LEGEND.
