Mickey Factz

Photos by Melo X

From the outside, or perhaps above, the underground world of music is less than glamorous. The image of acclaim is diluted to the point where, at least in the case of hip-hop, stars don’t really blow up quickly, but more so go from ashy, to moderately moisturized, then perhaps with enough luck and diligence, classy. But only if you scrape and scrap and drive your car around all 5 boroughs on E.

Enter our hero, Mickey Facts, stage right, to change the cast. With the name of a Disney character, but the might of another similar childhood [rodent] hero, M-I-C-K-E-Y F-A-C-T-S (Donald Duck?) is tearing down what hip-hop used to be to make his own club of sorts. Mickey has created a culture around himself that is basically trying to make sense of chaos, trying to piece together what is left of the Valhalla we once knew as the music industry, which makes Heaven’s Fallout, his free for download mixtape, ad hoc. “Heaven’s Fallout is about a man who is trying to find himself throughout his trials and tribulations, his triumphs and his falls.” This could more or less serve as a microcosm of music now as we know it, shakily progressing towards what everyone hopes is greener pastures and bank balances.

Mickey, who stepped out to Midtown, by way of the Bronx, hopes to sever as both the prophet and Messiah, who walks amongst us from the land of hip-hop’s birth. In the near closed Cosi, with his own modest contingent, he laid out his vision of systemic change, paired with his own contribution to the game; a double-barreled coup on the law of old. “The hardest part would have to be getting everyone conformed to what I’m doing. What I’m doing is totally different from the norm and a lot of people that are holding down the industry are older people and are scared to take chances on the music I make so they are being reluctant. Once they see the movement and the core fan base then, you know…. it’s getting easier now, because they are hearing the music after seeing the fans.” This approach has the call of many tried and true underground rappers, who use a unique angle to break mainstream. The Kanye’s and Lupe re-brands who wish to come at a new demographic of divergent fans. So then one must ask, “Why Mickey?”

“I’m not a hip-hop artist, I’m a musical artist in general that can perform in the realms of rock, jazz, pop, techno, house, hip-hop, rap, whatever.” That said, that’s really not the case. The appeal of Mickey is that he is completely aware that you have to be everything, from your starting fan base- upwards, to reach the great beyond. That is the golden thread that holds Mickey together, and is sewn intuitively on the last part of his moniker: Factz. This idea is knotted into all of his work, and is where his popularity and talent come from. He’s not trying to play you for dumb, but in case you are (no offense) he keeps it light, allowing his lyrics to relate easily to all. “With this album, its gonna be amazing. Its a whole bunch of genre’s, we call it a cross pollination. Its going to be lyrical but simple enough for the people to grasp and hold on to.”

There is definitely a sense of accommodation that comes with this album, which Mickey is pushing toward finishing within the month. The list of producers is impressive, and includes: Precize, Machine Drum, Sean C & LV, Clyde & Harry, Scyience, Ron Browz, Omen, and Illfonics, and shows a dedication to making sure there is at least one track that everyone can vibe with. In kind, Mikey’s flow takes a similarly diverse approach, which he sees as tri-prong’d. “I would say my flow is rapid, eccentric and yet simplistic. It’s rapid because I like to rap over faster beats. It’s eccentric because I always have energy when I go on a beat; I’m always pumped. And it’s simple because whoever hears it will understand what I’m saying, even though I’m contextually deep.”

As the mega superstar is quickly evaporating from existence, the new hustle has become making a way for yourself that is memorable enough to progress from album to album. Mickey Factz has found such a method, and is digging in for the long haul. “Since the 80’s artists haven’t been making as much money off of albums anyway. I’m comfrotable selling a lot of records, but if it doesnt happen, then I’ll be ok, because I have money coming in from everywhere else. There are so many different avenues to make a profit from, and I’m going to be at the forefront of that.” There’s really no point in dropping cliches like “time will tell” because time , or anyone else, can’t tell Mickey shit, cuz if you last name is “factz”, what else is there to know?