Myka 9
Encyclopedia
Myka 9 is a musician/rapper from Los Angeles
.
and Spoon Iodine. As one of the founding members of Freestyle Fellowship
, Myka 9 was instrumental in the scene at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90s. (Timetable contains some of his live recordings from the Good Life Cafe open-mic.) As one of the most stylistically advanced rappers at the Good Life, Myka 9 has had a profound influence on L.A. underground hip hop and freestyle rap
ping in general. Discussing the influence of Myka 9's song "7th Seal," released in 1991 on Freestyle Fellowship
's To Whom It May Concern, Ellay Khule said, " '7th Seal' blew everybody's mind for at least 2 years straight. People studied that shit backwards and forwards -- even we don't know all those words. That made everybody say like 'I gotta get a tape out' or 'I can't rap like so-and-so no more. I can't be in 80s, now we movin' to the 90s.' That totally transferred our musical thought." Drummer and producer JMD said, "Mike was like the Charlie Parker
of all these motherfuckers."
He is known for rapid-fire, jazz-influenced, melodic rapping, often incorporating singing and occasionally scatting into his songs. Myka has said of his style, “My rhymes take the direction of a jazz trumpet or sax solo, like Miles
or Trane
, if I was to rhyme in the same meter as those notes . . . that’s my concept.”
His style has been an influence to musicians far beyond the West Coast and to also add to the point above, an excerpt from an interview with Pigeon John: "For me Mikah 9 was like Miles Davis. He was a tall good looking dude, the girls always liked him and this dude just went on stage and there was no effort in him. He was a genius in what he did. He effected and influenced so many people in hip-hop including Mos Def, Talib Kweli, that whole scene. Years before Leaders of the New School, there are stories where Freestyle Fellowship, when they first came out and they went to New York. That whole shouting stuff, they had this ingenious way to do it and they had a backing jazz band before Digable Planets. Busta Rhymes ran up to him (Mikah 9) afterwards and said “dude what kind of style is this,” and then low and behold Leaders of the New School came out. So there’s plenty of stories like that, but that’s just like a taste of how potent that scene was at the Good Life."
Recently, Jose James has been gaining a lot of attention and acclaim for performing with a full orchestral backup, Myka's classic track, "Park Bench People".
Released in 1993, Freestyle Fellowship
's second album, Innercity Griots
, is one of the landmarks of L.A. hip hop, and their videos for "Inner City Boundaries" and "Hot Potato" brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Myka 9 was also featured on two tracks on the Project Blowed
compilation in 1994. In the late 90s, Myka 9 came together with Aceyalone
and Abstract Rude
to form Haiku D'Etat
. In 1998, Freestyle Fellowship
reunited to record Shockadoom.
In an interview, Myka Nyne stated that he ghost-wrote two tracks on N.W.A.
's debut album N.W.A. and the Posse
(1987). He has also worked with artists such as the Wailers Band
, Prefuse 73, Daddy Kev
, Busdriver
, Blue Sky Black Death
, Existereo, and many others. He has worked extensively with producer and trumpeter Josef Leimberg, who produced the majority of It's All Love, A Work in Progress, and Freestyle Fellowship
's Temptations.
Known for years as Mikah 9, in 2003, with the release of A Work in Progress, he changed the spelling to Myka Nyne. In his 2008 release Heartifact, he is credited as Myka 9.
Myka 9 also occasionally produces his own songs. He has produced songs such as "This Ain't the Song" (from his Work in Progress), "Battle Prone" (from the Project Blowed 10th Anniversary
album), and Haiku D'Etat
's "Purgatory" (Calicomm 2004), among others.
He was also featured in the documentary Freestyle (2001).
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
History
Originally known as Microphone Mike, in the 80s he was a member of the MC Aces with AceyaloneAceyalone
Eddie Hayes, better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper.He is a founding member of the Freestyle Fellowship. Apart from his role in Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone is also a member of Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team , and he is a co-founder of Project Blowed.After releasing a...
and Spoon Iodine. As one of the founding members of Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
, Myka 9 was instrumental in the scene at the Good Life Cafe in the early 90s. (Timetable contains some of his live recordings from the Good Life Cafe open-mic.) As one of the most stylistically advanced rappers at the Good Life, Myka 9 has had a profound influence on L.A. underground hip hop and freestyle rap
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
ping in general. Discussing the influence of Myka 9's song "7th Seal," released in 1991 on Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
's To Whom It May Concern, Ellay Khule said, " '7th Seal' blew everybody's mind for at least 2 years straight. People studied that shit backwards and forwards -- even we don't know all those words. That made everybody say like 'I gotta get a tape out' or 'I can't rap like so-and-so no more. I can't be in 80s, now we movin' to the 90s.' That totally transferred our musical thought." Drummer and producer JMD said, "Mike was like the Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
of all these motherfuckers."
He is known for rapid-fire, jazz-influenced, melodic rapping, often incorporating singing and occasionally scatting into his songs. Myka has said of his style, “My rhymes take the direction of a jazz trumpet or sax solo, like Miles
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
or Trane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, if I was to rhyme in the same meter as those notes . . . that’s my concept.”
His style has been an influence to musicians far beyond the West Coast and to also add to the point above, an excerpt from an interview with Pigeon John: "For me Mikah 9 was like Miles Davis. He was a tall good looking dude, the girls always liked him and this dude just went on stage and there was no effort in him. He was a genius in what he did. He effected and influenced so many people in hip-hop including Mos Def, Talib Kweli, that whole scene. Years before Leaders of the New School, there are stories where Freestyle Fellowship, when they first came out and they went to New York. That whole shouting stuff, they had this ingenious way to do it and they had a backing jazz band before Digable Planets. Busta Rhymes ran up to him (Mikah 9) afterwards and said “dude what kind of style is this,” and then low and behold Leaders of the New School came out. So there’s plenty of stories like that, but that’s just like a taste of how potent that scene was at the Good Life."
Recently, Jose James has been gaining a lot of attention and acclaim for performing with a full orchestral backup, Myka's classic track, "Park Bench People".
Released in 1993, Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
's second album, Innercity Griots
Innercity Griots
-Personnel:Information taken from Allmusic.*arranging – Edman, JMD, Kevin O'Neal*bass – Robert Harris, JMD, Kevin O'Neal, Christy Smith, Alfred Threats*bass – Kevin O'Neal, Christy Smith*drums – Robert Harris, JMD...
, is one of the landmarks of L.A. hip hop, and their videos for "Inner City Boundaries" and "Hot Potato" brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Myka 9 was also featured on two tracks on the Project Blowed
Project Blowed
Project Blowed refers to an open-mic workshop, its affiliated hip hop crew, and the two compilation albums released by that collective. The Leimert Park workshop is the longest running open-mic for Hip-Hop in the world.-The Good Life:...
compilation in 1994. In the late 90s, Myka 9 came together with Aceyalone
Aceyalone
Eddie Hayes, better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper.He is a founding member of the Freestyle Fellowship. Apart from his role in Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone is also a member of Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team , and he is a co-founder of Project Blowed.After releasing a...
and Abstract Rude
Abstract Rude
Abstract Rude is an American rapper, from Los Angeles, CA. He is the MC for the hip hop group Abstract Tribe Unique , alongside dancers Zulu Butterfly Prince and Irie Lion Locks, Turntablist DJ Drez, and Underground Hip Hop producer, Fat Jack...
to form Haiku D'Etat
Haiku D'Etat
Haiku D'Etat is a hip hop supergroup trio consisting of Aceyalone & Myka 9 of the Freestyle Fellowship, and Abstract Rude, the leader of Abstract Tribe Unique . Abstract Rude previously worked with Aceyalone as the A-Team. All three artists are heavily affiliated with the Project Blowed, group...
. In 1998, Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
reunited to record Shockadoom.
In an interview, Myka Nyne stated that he ghost-wrote two tracks on N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
's debut album N.W.A. and the Posse
N.W.A. and the Posse
N.W.A. and the Posse was a 1987 Macola Records release that compiled various Dr. Dre-produced tracks and was marketed as an album by N.W.A. It includes previously released tracks by N.W.A, Eazy-E, the Fila Fresh Crew, and Rappinstine. The cover photo is the same as N.W.A's "Panic Zone" single and...
(1987). He has also worked with artists such as the Wailers Band
Wailers Band
The Wailers Band are a reggae band formed by the remaining members of Bob Marley & The Wailers, following the death of Bob Marley in 1981.-Previous Wailers' incarnations:The Wailers started as Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh...
, Prefuse 73, Daddy Kev
Daddy Kev
Daddy Kev is a prolific underground hip-hop and electronic music producer, recording engineer and record label owner. Pitchfork describes him as "one of the Los Angeles underground's most visionary producers.....
, Busdriver
Busdriver
Busdriver is a rapper from Los Angeles currently signed to Epitaph Records and Fake Four Inc-History:...
, Blue Sky Black Death
Blue Sky Black Death
Blue Sky Black Death is a production duo based in Seattle, Washington. The duo consists of Kingston and Young God . They are known principally for their hip hop and instrumental music, made with a mix of live instrumentation and sampling...
, Existereo, and many others. He has worked extensively with producer and trumpeter Josef Leimberg, who produced the majority of It's All Love, A Work in Progress, and Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship
Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi...
's Temptations.
Known for years as Mikah 9, in 2003, with the release of A Work in Progress, he changed the spelling to Myka Nyne. In his 2008 release Heartifact, he is credited as Myka 9.
Myka 9 also occasionally produces his own songs. He has produced songs such as "This Ain't the Song" (from his Work in Progress), "Battle Prone" (from the Project Blowed 10th Anniversary
Project Blowed
Project Blowed refers to an open-mic workshop, its affiliated hip hop crew, and the two compilation albums released by that collective. The Leimert Park workshop is the longest running open-mic for Hip-Hop in the world.-The Good Life:...
album), and Haiku D'Etat
Haiku D'Etat
Haiku D'Etat is a hip hop supergroup trio consisting of Aceyalone & Myka 9 of the Freestyle Fellowship, and Abstract Rude, the leader of Abstract Tribe Unique . Abstract Rude previously worked with Aceyalone as the A-Team. All three artists are heavily affiliated with the Project Blowed, group...
's "Purgatory" (Calicomm 2004), among others.
Film
Myka 9 is featured in the award-winning 2008 documentary This Is the Life, chronicling the music movement that was birthed at The Good Life Cafe in South Central Los Angeles. The Good Life is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Freestyle Fellowship in the early 1990s.He was also featured in the documentary Freestyle (2001).
Freestyle Fellowship
- To Whom It May Concern… (1991)
- Innercity GriotsInnercity Griots-Personnel:Information taken from Allmusic.*arranging – Edman, JMD, Kevin O'Neal*bass – Robert Harris, JMD, Kevin O'Neal, Christy Smith, Alfred Threats*bass – Kevin O'Neal, Christy Smith*drums – Robert Harris, JMD...
(1993) - Temptations (2001)
- Version 2.0: To Whom It May Concern, Remixes (2001)
- Innercity Griots Instrumentals (2002)
- Shockadoom (2001)
- Temptations (2002)
- The Promise (2011)
Haiku D'Etat
- Haiku D'EtatHaiku D'Etat (album)Haiku D'Etat is the eponymous debut album of the underground hip hop supergroup/project featuring Aceyalone and Mikah 9 of the Freestyle Fellowship and Abstract Rude of Abstract Tribe Unique, released in 1999 ....
(1999) - Coup de TheatreCoup de Theatre (album)Coup de Theatre is the second album by Haiku D'Etat, released in 2004. Two singles from the album followed its release: Mike, Aaron & Eddie, including the title song and "All Good Things"; and Triumvirate, including the title song and "Top Qualified"...
(2004)
Solo
- It's All Love (American Nightmare) (1999) (as Mikah Nine)
- Timetable (2001) (as Mikah 9)
- A Work in Progress (2003) (as Myka Nyne)
- Citrus Sessions, Vol. 1 (2006) (as Myka Nyne)
- 1969 (2009, Fake Four IncFake Four IncFake Four Inc. is an independent record label based in New Haven, CT. It was founded in 2008 by Ceschi and David Ramos. According to an interview with Ceschi on Ugsmag.com, the Ramos brothers started Fake Four with help from San Bernardino, California's Grimm Image Records and Dayton, Ohio's Squids...
)