| Beware of the Monkey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Mixtape by | ||||
| Released | December 21, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop [1] | |||
| Length | 33:32 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | 10k | |||
| Producer | dj blackpower | |||
| Mike chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Beware of the Monkey | ||||
| ||||
Beware of the Monkey is the fifth mixtape by American rapper Mike, released on December 21, 2022, through 10k.
The album followed a trend of many of Mike's albums, releasing on a solstice. [2] [1] [3] The album is named after a horoscope Mike saw in a Chinese restaurant. [4] [5] [6]
On October 13, 2022, Mike announced the album and released its first single, "nuthin i can do is wrng", alongside a music video directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa. [7] [8] In his review for Pitchfork , Dylan Green praised the single as a "glimpse of an already masterful talent polishing his craft." [9] James Rettig of Stereogum described the single as "hypnotic." [10] On November 3, 2022, Mike released the album's second single, "What Do I Do?", alongside a music video directed by Xin Wang. [11] [4] He also announced the Ipari Park Tour with 454 and Slauson Malone 1 in support of the album. [12] [13] The Fader's Raphael Helfand described the single as a "characteristically woozy slow burn." [14] Gabriel Bras Nevares of HotNewHipHop called the single "moody and ethereal." [11] On November 29, 2022, Mike released the album's third single, "Stop Worry!", featuring Jamaican singer Sister Nancy, alongside a music video directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa. [15] [16] [17] Jada Ojii of HotNewHipHop described Sister Nancy's feature as "melodic and hypnotizing." [5] Stereogum's Tom Breihan described Mike's verse as a "sleepy stream-of-consciousness." [18]
The album released on December 21, 2022, alongside a music video for "No Curse Lifted (rivers of love)" directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa. [19] [20] [2] [21] On January 26, 2023, Mike released a music video directed by Christopher Currence for "Weary Love". [22] On March 10, 2023, Mike released a music video directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa for "As 4 Me". On September 7, 2023, Mike released a music video for "Ipari Park" directed by Cynthia Igbokwe and Danny Gubber. [23]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 86/100 [24] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Beats Per Minute | 80% [1] |
| HipHopDX | 4.2/5 [25] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [26] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Beware of the Monkey received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from 5 critic scores. [24]
Writing for Beats Per Minute , Tim Sentz praised Mike's writing on the album, stating that "he raps about pain and perseverance like he's lived a hundred lifetimes already." [1] Anthony Malone of HipHopDX praised the album's themes of dealing with death, grief, and depression. [25] Ryan Dillon of Glide Magazine praised Mike's instrumental production on the album, writing: "the instrumentals presented on this album are put together gives them the feeling of history being stitched together through muddy drum loops and dancing sample chops." [27] In his review for Spin , Tomas Miriti Pacheco described Mike's lyricism as "layered" and "effortless" and that the album "delivers his boldest songs yet." [3] Jaelani Turner Williams of Okayplayer called the album Mike's "most meditative album yet." [28] Stereogum 's Chris Deville described the album's production as Mike's most engaging to date. [29] Isaac Fontes of HotNewHipHop writes that the album "further cements [Mike] as one of underground rap's best storytellers." [30] Writing for Pitchfork, Stephen Kearse described the album as "self-assured and polyvalent, a current of shifting emotional states that MIKE's exquisite word and production choices shape into rich affirmations." [26]
All tracks written by Michael Bonema and produced under his alias dj blackpower, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "nuthin i can do is wrng" | 1:58 | |
| 2. | "As 4 Me" | 1:43 | |
| 3. | "Eczema" | 1:52 | |
| 4. | "Light (if u can't see)" (featuring Jadasea) |
| 3:37 |
| 5. | "No Curse Lifted (rivers of love)" | 1:49 | |
| 6. | "What Do I Do?" | 3:06 | |
| 7. | "Ipari Park" (featuring Klein) |
| 2:41 |
| 8. | "Swoosh 23" | 2:35 | |
| 9. | "Tapestry" | 1:37 | |
| 10. | "Stop Worry!" (featuring Sister Nancy) |
| 2:29 |
| 11. | "WEARY LOVE" | 2:11 | |
| 12. | "Concrète" (featuring King Carter) |
| 3:53 |
| 13. | "Closing Credits" | 3:54 |