Coming from the small town of Oakdale, Louisiana – a town with a population of only 7,500, of which 1,500 are African-American – Mike B said he’s often surprised by how little attention the music industry gives to the area he’s from because there’s so much good, raw talent. And he hopes to be one of those from the area to lead the charge when it comes to putting that talent on display.
It’s not a new endeavor for him. He’s actually been making music and gaining a large following throughout the South for the past 10 years. His music has become so well-known among locals throughout Louisiana, Florida and Texas that he’s booked almost every weekend for live shows. He has dropped five mixtapes to date. His third tape, “Turn Me Up a Notch Vol. 3,” gained him quite a bit of exposure because of the huge success of the single “Fuck Em.” Since then Mike B has become one of the most-booked acts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas – opening for acts including Lil Wayne, Future, Rick Ross and Yo Gotti.
His most recent work is a 20-song EP called “Legal Trafficking 2,” which is currently available for download across all digital distribution sites. It’s hosted by Bigga Rankin, Hollyhoodbaybay and DJ Smallz, and features all original tracks from Mike B. The project will feature three hit club bangers, “Come and See Me,” “Gang Gang,” and “No Tellin.”
“It’s kind of all genres mixed into one project,” he said. “But, of course, it has a lot of club bangers on there. People know me a lot for making club bangers. My biggest club banger, ‘Fuck Em,” is on there as a remix. But I hope everybody checks out all of the tapes on there. When you check out my music, you’re gonna love it. That’s why I have 20 songs on there, so that I can give a different flavor – the streets, the clubs, the struggles to get to where I am, all of it. Everything I ever did I financed on my own. I didn’t have a team. My mother financed by first project when I started at age 15, and after that it all came out of my own pocket – recording, shooting videos, everything. I’ve been eating for a long time off of my music, and nobody has known about it because there aren’t that many people looking for artists out this way… maybe in New Orleans or Baton Rouge or Shreveport, but not here. I’m trying to bring attention to my area because there’s a lot of good music going on around here and we don’t get a lot of good exposure.”
In addition to releasing this new project, Mike B will also be performing live over Memorial Day weekend in Bernice, Baton Rouge and Coushatta, Louisiana.
To hear Mike B’s music, or to follow him on social media, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/Mikebmbe
https://www.instagram.com/mikebmbe/
https://twitter.com/mikebmbe12
YouTube: MikeBarnes
Snapchat: @MikeBeezie
XO x Mike B – “Gang Gang” Music Video:
https://youtu.be/Pi2Q6MseZCA
“Come and See Me" Official Music Video:
https://youtu.be/G0KP0UkbBTU
Booking: [email protected]
