“I’d like to think I’m everything that Afrika Bambaataa would’ve envisioned hip-hop to be in 2008, 2016, 2030.” – Mickey Factz, SPIN Magazine (May 2008)
It’s a new age for music. The once broad gap between genres has been blurred and the experience made viral. As a new cultural revolution unveils itself to the masses, one artist has been navigating himself through this realm of waves and pixels. Creating an identity and following so surreal, he’s pronounced himself to be music’s digital messiah.
Helming from the boogie down Bronx, the birth place of Hip-Hop, Mickey Factz isn’t your traditional “b-boy.” As he told the Fader Magazine, “I was always somebody who didn’t want to be like everyone else…I need to be looked at, gawked at.” Wearing raw denim from Rag & Bone, a Rocksmith Tokyo leather bomber, Prada specs and a pair of Supra, he’s more Moon Walker than Child of the Ghetto. However, this unconventional child of the ghetto is the archetype for today’s New Artist.
Always ahead of the curve, Mickey Factz has been releasing free downloadable mixtapes since 2006. In the winter of 2007, he broke out reaching worldwide praises with the release of “Heaven’s Fallout.” On “Heaven’s Fallout,” Mickey Factz took us on his internal search for clarity and meaning in his journey towards self-enlightenment. We listened intently as the abstract psyche of an artist came into full focus as he confided in us about his aspirations, relationships, and vices. Laying his narrative over an eclectic array of music from alternative to rock to electronic while still embracing his foundations, Mickey Factz christens “Heaven’s Fallout” as the genesis of the new sound of hip-hop for a new generation.
To follow up “Heaven’s Fallout” success, at the top of ’08 Mickey Factz began to virally release a track every week for free, as part of a series called “The Leak.” The buzz from “The Leak” grew tremendously as every blogger and media outlet from Nahright.com, Hypebeast.com, XXLmag.com and so forth began covering and following it, waiting to see what new music Mickey had for the public. “The Leak” series would soon manifest, “The Leak Vol. 1: The Understanding” and “The Leak Vol. 2: The Inspiration” mixtapes. A 1 standing for Mickey’s “Machine Gun” on the list of “Songs to Download Now” in the August 2008 SPIN Magazine, topping the likes of songs by RadioHead, Maino, and others. A campaign entitled “Incredible,” where artists such as Tyga, The Mad Rapper, Naledge of Kidz N The Hall, Curren$y and others jumped on Mickey’s “Incredible” instrumental; having it proclaimed freestyle beat of the year, second to only Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.”
Outside of his onslaught of free music for the people, this year Mickey Factz collaborated with The Cool Kids on his unofficial single, “Rockin N Rollin (Remix)” which made its way onto MTV2, MTVjams, MTVu, and Music Choice. He’s performed at notable venues such as BB Kings, SOBs, The Knitting Factory, and others. Also Mickey’s been chosen to be one of the faces for Rocksmith Tokyo, a Japanese clothing brand. He’s begun cementing the Supra sneaker brand as this generation’s, “My Adidas.” And has graced the pages of several national publications such as VIBE, the Fader, SPIN, GIANT, and XXL which named him one of ten artists to check for in 2009. All of this while continuing to build a brand and movement, GFCnewyork, which people can once again champion like they did the Bad Boys and Rocafellas.
As his GFCnewyork team continue to strategize the months ahead, while reading blogs, and answering endless calls from people with interest, Mickey Factz confides in the mic on the other side of the glass plane, pouring his life experiences on another track from “The Leak” series titled the “The Inspiration.” With this track he hopes to shed light and inspire those listening via the stories of his own trials and tribulations. But before he steps in, he’s asked what do you this for. Genuinely, he replies, “First off, I do this for my culture, because the progression and longevity of it means a lot to me and the future. Other than that, my ego tells me I can be…excuse me, that I am bigger than Michael Jackson and as innovative as Prince, so I wanna wake this industry up; have them take several doses of my pills and say goodbye to the matrix.”
Website
www.gfcny.com
Band Members
Producers: Precize, Chistian Rich, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Syience, Soundsmith, Dot Da Genius, Chester French
Influences
Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Afrika Bambaataa, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Prince, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Tribe Called Quest, Outkast, N*E*R*D, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jonzun Crew, George Clinton & The Paliament Funkadelics, James Brown, U2 and more...
