Keep getting used to hearing Mike Crook, the producer who’s rising up the ranks as one of the game’s most versatile hitmakers. While mainstream is still getting acquainted with him, his work has long spoken volumes over the years. From rising stars to A-listers, there hasn’t been a lane he hasn’t been able to cross into. A heavy West Coast influence mixed with his self-created, radio friendly formula is responsible for Crook’s multi-platinum success thus far.
“I spent years trying to perfect it. I can also do the trap tuff as well, but my go to is really getting those R&B chords with the 102-107 bpm, feel good vibes. I loved early 2000s R&B too, I get inspired by that. [I] just want it to have a groove people can dance too.”
As of now, Mike’s just waiting patiently for his freshest offerings to hit the scene. Last year was a slow one for music makers, and he was no stranger to the standstill many faced. So it’s understandable why Crook has been anxious to hit the ground running this year. The amount of work he’s found himself sitting on has made it hard to let time take its course for proper releases. But best believe, the “Like That” producer has plenty in the chamber and cannot wait to let them go. “The past year in my life was a year of practicing patience and realizing everything will happen when it’s supposed to happen. Some of these songs have been done for about a year, and I remember just being so anxious and stressing myself out because I wanted them to drop when we finished them. I was too worried about being consistent…Honestly, I think it worked out better that they dropped this year in 2022. I think I got better at my craft the last year. I feel more comfortable that ever going into the studio with artists, which was something I struggled with my first two years in the game. So I think maybe if these songs dropped when I wanted them to, I mentally wasn’t ready to be in a bunch of rooms. Now I feel I’m ready.”
The difficulty of getting in the room as a new producer is something Mike Crook knows far too well. Granted, his success and certified plaques has made things easier to navigate himself. But as the producer made strides towards collaborations, he admitted it was initially hard to find himself in those spaces.
“So many artists have their go-to producers that they’ve been with for years. I think me being new, it was a challenge to even get them to approve me coming to the studio. With the songs I have now, it makes it a little easier for people to want to work. But for a long time, it felt like a challenge. Artists get 1,000 beats a day, it’s almost a gamble sending beats. I respect any producer waking up every day and trying to make plays, because this is a hard game.” He’s coming off a hot streak last month with three hot singles that’s currently making waves. The first being the pop-heavy Saweetie and H.E.R. collaboration “Closer” that topped the Triller US Chart and peaked in the Billboard Hot 100. His production is more recently heard on two distinct singles, “I Like” by Rubi Rose and “Freaky Deaky” by Tyga and Doja Cat. While Rubi’s track carries an aggressive bounce that matches her straightforward sex appeal, Tyga and Doja’s duet is a fun, light-hearted take on a late-night “appointment” with a radio-ready melody. Both singles do a great job highlighting Mike’s versatility and ability to make chart-toppers with the artists he works with.
At his current stage, he’s ready to use his solidified status to begin crossing names off his list of names he wants to work with. “[I want to work with] Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Roddy Ricch, Kendick [Lamar], Dua Lipa, Bluebucks Clan, Remble, Bino, Blxst… I want to work with everyone, especially on the West Coast.”
As the year begins to heat up, keep an eye out for Mike Crook‘s production credits on the charts for more hits this year and expect him to do the same.
