Meet Mikey Salvatore | Rapper & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikey Salvatore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikey, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
This is a loaded question, so let me start from the beginning.

I feel like art in general has always been omnipresent in my life; it always felt right. As early as elementary school, I remember being recognized as one of the few kids that clearly had something going on in the artistic side of the brain. From there it just manifested in different ways. It started with sketching/doodling (especially while being bored in class; and this applies all the way up to college), then I fell in love with making digital art. Ironically, years before I made my first beat or song, I made numerous mixtape covers with hopes of manifesting them.

I remember playing Guitar Hero at a young age and idolizing the characters on the stage, imagining myself performing in a packed stadium. The first beat I ever attempted to make was actually in the in-game music studio, without a clue on what I was doing, I just knew I wanted to do it. Shortly after, I fell in love with hip-hop. The bravado and directness of it, the “here I am as I am” type of energy that you have to have as a rapper to get your point across. This is when I started molding my everyday life and perspectives into lyrics. Some of my favorite lyricists are J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Jay-Z, and Big L.

Fast forward to college. I started dabbling in music production after class. I was now able to not only produce the sonic environment I wanted to live in, but record my thoughts and ideas freely. By no means did I start out sounding great, but I had this delusional momentum that kept me focused on making progress. I started my own record label, “The Deadfish Collective,” as well as reaching out to other artists. As I sit here 6 years into practicing and pursuing music, I have come a very, very, very long way from that first year.

So now let me answer your question, I told you this was a loaded one, right?

What I realized as I grew older was art and my creative mind were always a crutch for me. No matter what was going on in my life, I could always get lost in creativity for hours and come out of that state of mind feeling better every time. This has fully translated to me as a music artist. And now I’m sitting here creating the beat, writing the lyrics, recording the song, mixing/mastering the song, AND creating all the art to be distributed with the music. I’ve become a self-sufficient juggernaut sweatshop and all of my artistic passions have come full circle. My pursuit for a career in art comes from my belief that the different passions of mine, when working in unison, will provide an incredible outlet for millions of other people the same way it has done for myself. Whether it is a banger of a song to fuel some random kid’s night out, or an introspective song to help somebody who is having a bad day find a glimmer of hope. That’s why I do it, I just want to make an impact.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m just ready to be outside, like really get my music out and in front of people. I recently released my first full-length album, “Washington Street,” on all streaming platforms. This album is a great starting point if you aren’t familiar with me or my music and every track is produced, mixed, and mastered by me. I took my time with it, it’s a cohesive front-to-back listen and I guarantee you will walk away from it feeling inspired.

Going into Summer 2024 I have a lot of exciting stuff on the way too. I plan on dropping a few singles this summer, all different vibes. I have 3 more full-length projects on stand-by as well. The first one, “Kinda Kooky,” is a collection of bangers, mostly party music. I’m really excited about putting that body of work out, I know it’s going to surprise a lot of people. The second project is a concept album over sample-based production and the third project is a feature-heavy, underground vibe.

On the production side, my vault of beats is overflowing. I’ve produced just about every genre from sample-based boom bap to UK drill to reggaetón to trap and amapiano. At this point in my production career, I have full confidence that if you put me in the room with any type of artist, they will walk out of there with exactly what they’re looking for. The biggest influence on my production is Ye (formally known as Kanye West), who I personally believe is the greatest producer of all-time. Other incredible producers that I’ve spent hours studying are Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, The Alchemist, Pharrell, Havoc, and Jon Bellion. I hope one day my name holds as much weight in the music industry as they do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Jersey City, so if somebody was to visit me it depends on what they’re looking to do. If they want to get active I’d take them to the clubs downtown, buy us some Red Bull vodkas, and have us a night. Obviously Manhattan is right here as well so the opportunities are endless. As of recent I’ve been enjoying going to hip-hop concerts in Brooklyn. The energy at these concerts is different, I’d imagine it is reminiscent of what the 90’s rap concerts were like. I’ll put on a show like that one day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My music career wouldn’t have started without my cousin’s, Jake and Jamie.

Jake had been spending time messing with music production for a few years before I came to him with my grand idea of being a music artist. He was the first person who gave me the space to just try; no judgement, no discouragement, just helpful critiques in hopes of leveling up. Trips out to his home studio in Pittsburgh, PA always resulted in a feeling of growth. To this day, the vocal processing I use is a direct result of the work he put in with me over those first couple years. I am forever grateful for his patience during the infancy of my artistry.

When I told my cousin Jamie I was interested in music he already had years under his belt of music production and performing at DJ events. Every time I visit him I leave with not only a few new tricks, but full of inspiration. His production style feels cutting-edge and I soak up as much information as I can every time we get together. He really taught me to think outside the box when approaching music.

Website: https://linktr.ee/mikeysalvatore

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeysalvatore_