The set, which includes collaborations with Miky Woodz, Jon Z, Ñengo Flow, and Sahir, is an ode to basketball, el barrio and, his biggest inspiration, Michael Jordan.
“He’s the person that has motivated me the most, not only musically but in my life, overall,” he notes. “He doesn’t sing, but he has a winning attitude. Whenever I have free time, I buy his shoes, his games — he’s always inspired me.”
Lyke Mike is also a tribute to his fans, the ones who knew Myke Towers before he was Myke Towers — the ones who followed his career from the underground rap scene, up.
“My fans accepted that I had to do what I had to do to continue growing. I couldn’t just stay doing mixtapes and rap,” he says. “Every time people want to hear me rap, they can always return to Lyke Mike.”
An ultra-personal production, with an album cover in front of his childhood home in Puerto Rico shot by hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion, Towers narrates his struggles and successes as heard in “Cuando Me Ven,” “Joven Leyenda,” “Roncarme,” “Niveles,” and “Maldita Envidia,” to name a few.
“More than throwing shade at those who didn’t believe in me, it’s about showing the new generation that they can do it,” he assures. “If they work hard and are focused, they can achieve what I’m achieving. I haven’t achieved everything that I want but for now, it’s enough to motivate my fans.”
Below, Towers breaks down five personal tracks on Lyke Mike.
“Mirenme Ahora”: I chose this as the opening track because I know that my real fans were crazy to hear the Myke Towers from before. This song is basically telling people that I’m the same kid everything doubted. I always knew I was going to make it big and I stayed quiet.
“Balas Locas” feat. Jon Z: If I had to pick a favorite one, it’d be this one. I’ve never done a drill and Jon Z was not only the first artist I had a special connection with but he’s also one of the first artists to do Latin drill.
“No Salen”: It’s like saying, they underestimate me, but they don’t know what I’m capable of. I have to stay humble until people realize who I am and what I do.
“Niveles”: People say I’m at the top but I would like to go back to my beginnings to see who would stay with me. In this world, there’s a lot of people who take advantage of you. I know how to differentiate who’s a real friend and who’s next to me for “Myke Towers” and not Michael.
“Maldita Envidia”: This is another one that I liked a lot because it happens in real life. Envy comes from the least expected people and it’s everywhere. It’s a song that, even though this might sound awful, I’d like to be played when I’m gone.
