"Watermelon, Baseball, Apple Pie, Disney Land"

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's getting really hard to tell the difference between Drake and Mike Stud. The sing-songy rap flow with extra swag on deck they both possess is damn near identical. Plus Mike has his right hand man production wise in Louis Bell similar to how Drake has 40. Then there's the whole six degrees of Marcus Stroman separation. Mike played baseball with Marcus at Duke. Marcus now pitches for the Blue Jays, from Toronto...aka the 6, which is where Drake is from. Other than Mike covering a couple Drake tracks in concert, it sounds like the two are co-existing peacefully despite the similar sounds.

As far as Things I Like, the slow tempo and heavy bass is what will get your attention. Sure, the initial sample is corny af, but the lyrical gymnastics Mike is able to do on the beat is stellar. There's more singing than rapping, but that doesn't mean there's any shortage of gravitas from Mike on the mic. Let's just say the song below did what was needed to keep the momentum rolling after two dope singles, Gym and Frio...#ThingsILike


Mike Stud - Things I Like (prod by Louis Bell)

"I'm So Cold, Hace Frio"

Swag on deck every time Mike Stud releases a new track. Close your eyes, listen, and tell me you don't hear Drake in the mix? To be clear, that's not throwing shade either. They share similar braggadocious wordplay while mixing between rapping and singing. It sure helps to have a dope Louis Bell beat too. It may be kitchy af, but the whole cold, hace frio (it's cold for all you monolinguists out there) lyrics had me going back to Spanish 1 in High School. I'm torn between whether I like the beat or the laid back bars, but together they make a dynamic duo. You won't be able to find the track yet on the normal outlets, but hit this iTunes link in a few days. 'Til then, bang this one on and floss all those diamonds you wish you had with the windows down...#Frio



Mike Stud - Frio (prod by Louis Bell)

"Put Them Bright Lights on, I Shine on 'Em"

It's a fact that every athlete wants to be a rapper and every rapper wants to be an athlete. What that causes is a whole lot of athletes that think they can rattle off 16 bars with the best of them. Despite the fact that the majority of athlete rappers are delusional, there are exceptions like Dame Lillard for example. Check out Dame's latest video and you'll see why he deserves a category unto himself...
What does all that have to do with Mike Stud's new track Shine? Well, it features Marcus Stroman who is a friend of Mike's and pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays. He's no Dame Dolla, but he more than held his own in a support role on the track. Utilizing a bangin' beat from Louis Bell and Roofeeo, the duo managed to lyrically capture the athletic swagger of performing in a big moment. That type of swag isn't easy to simulate, so in this case, their athletic background was necessary to make a track like this happen. The best part about, it comes at the price of a Facebook login or email sign up, which is less than free.50, so hop on it...#Shine

Mike Stud feat Marcus Stroman - Shine (prod by Louis Bell & Roofeeo)

"Takin' Shots at the Bar Like Swish"

Being a former collegiate baseball player, you know I'm always going to give love to those who find their way into music after hanging up their cleats. You've probably heard of him by now, but Mike Seander (aka Mike Stud) has come on in a big way over the past year. First it was his splashy, critically acclaimed album Closer. Now fast forward to this year where his new album, These Days, landed on iTunes two weeks back and has been continuing to light it up since then.

One of the clear standout tracks on his latest album is Swish. Stylistically my mind immediately goes to Drake when looking for a comparison to Mike on the mic. The rhyme schemes, hook and slow flow will have you doing a double take. Add to that all the sports references in the verses and you can bet there will be a lot of pop culture traction with the track below. It's a testament to how you don't always need a big flashy beat or high budget video to elevate a good single to a great single. Do yourself a favor and give his new album a listen because the plane is getting full and fueled up for takeoff for Mike's career...#MikeStud