Michael Lafayette Troy (born January 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Myka 9, is a

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He is a member of

Freestyle Fellowship Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter. The group was a prominent part of the Good Life Cafe collective, and are part of the Project Blowed co ...

, Haiku d'Etat and Magic Heart Genies. Known for years as Mikah Nine, he changed the spelling to Myka Nyne with the release of ''A Work in Progress'' in 2003. Since Magic Heart Genies' album ''Heartifact'' in 2008, he has been credited as Myka 9.

History

Originally known as Microphone Mike in the 1980s, Myka 9 was a member of the MC Aces with

Aceyalone Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is ...

and Spoon Iodine. He ghost-wrote the Rappinstine song "Scream" on N.W.A.'s debut album ''

N.W.A. and the Posse ''N.W.A. and the Posse'' is a compilation album, re-releasing N.W.A and associated groups' underground rap songs from the Los Angeles area's rap scene on November 6, 1987.Roni Sarig, ''Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-hop Became a Sou ...

'' in 1987. As a co-founder of

, he was instrumental in the scene at the

Good Life Cafe The Good Life Cafe was a health food market and cafe in Los Angeles, California, known for its open mic nights that helped the 1990s Los Angeles alternative hip hop movement flourish. In 2008, director Ava DuVernay, who had performed at the cafe w ...

in the early 1990s. Released in 1993, Freestyle Fellowship's second album ''

Innercity Griots ''Innercity Griots'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. It was released on April 28, 1993 on 4th & B'way Records and distributed through Island Records. Critical reception Nathan Bush of AllMusic gave the ...

'' is one of the landmarks of Los Angeles hip hop. Their videos for "Inner City Boundaries" and "Hot Potato" brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Myka 9 was also featured on two tracks on ''Project Blowed'' compilation in 1994. In the late 1990s, Myka 9 came together with Aceyalone and

Abstract Rude Aaron Pointer, better known by his stage name Abstract Rude, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is the MC of Abstract Tribe Unique, alongside dancers Zulu Butterfly and Irie Lion King, turntablist DJ Drez and producer Fat Jack. He ...

to form Haiku D'Etat. In 2008, Myka 9 formed Magic Heart Genies with J the Sarge and DJ Drez. Myka 9 has collaborated with

The Wailers Band The Wailers Band are a reggae band formed by Aston Barrett in 1989, one of several spinoffs from Bob Marley and the Wailers. History After the death of Bob Marley in 1981, the Wailers continued, led by Aston Barrett and Junior Marvin. The ba ...

Prefuse 73 Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups S ...

Daddy Kev Kevin Marques Moo (born 1974), better known by his stage name Daddy Kev, is an American DJ, Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, record producer and executive from Los Angeles, California. He is the owner of Alpha Pup Records and the founder of Low ...

Busdriver Regan Farquhar (born February 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Busdriver, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He has collaborated with rappers such as Myka 9, Milo, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, 2Mex, and Radioi ...

Cut Chemist Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects. Early life Cut Chemist grad ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

, and many others. He has worked extensively with producer and trumpeter Josef Leimberg, who produced the majority of ''It's All Love: American Nightmare'' and ''A Work in Progress''. He has released three albums with Canadian producer

Factor Chandelier Graham Murawsky (born March 28, 1982), better known by his stage name Factor Chandelier (formerly Factor), is a Canadian underground hip hop producer from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He is a founder of Off Beat Production and Side Road Records. Hi ...

Style and legacy

Myka 9 is known for rapid-fire, jazz-influenced, melodic rapping, often incorporating singing and occasionally scatting into his songs. Myka 9 has said of his style: "My rhymes take the direction of a jazz trumpet or sax solo, like Miles or

Trane Trane is a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with building management systems and controls. The company is a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, a company focused on manufacturing HVAC and refrigerat ...

, if I was to rhyme in the same meter as those notes... that’s my concept." Myka 9 has had a large influence on Los Angeles underground hip hop and

freestyle rap Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...

in general. Discussing the influence of Myka 9's song "7th Seal" on Freestyle Fellowship's first album '' To Whom It May Concern...'' (1991), Ellay Khule said, "'7th Seal' blew everybody's mind for at least 2 years straight. People studied that shit backwards and forwards—even we don't know all those words. That made everybody say like 'I gotta get a tape out' or 'I can't rap like so-and-so no more. I can't be in 80s, now we movin' to the 90s.' That totally transferred our musical thought." Drummer and producer JMD said, "Mike was like the

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

of all these motherfuckers."

Pigeon John John Kenneth Dust (born John Kenneth Dunkin: November 30, 1972), better known by the stage name Pigeon John, is an American rapper based in Los Angeles, California. He is a former member of L.A. Symphony. Early life Pigeon John claims that his ...

said, "For me Mikah 9 was like

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. He was a tall good looking dude, the girls always liked him and this dude just went on stage and there was no effort in him. He was a genius in what he did. He affected and influenced so many people in hip-hop including

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

, that whole scene. Years before

Leaders of the New School Leaders of the New School was an American hip hop group based in Long Island, New York. History The crew was composed of Uniondale, New York, natives Charlie Brown (born Bryan Higgins on September 19, 1970) and Dinco D (born James Jackson on No ...

, there are stories where Freestyle Fellowship, when they first came out and they went to New York. That whole shouting stuff, they had this ingenious way to do it and they had a backing jazz band before

Digable Planets Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenre ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

ran up to him (Myka 9) afterwards and said 'dude what kind of style is this,' and then lo and behold

came out. So there's plenty of stories like that, but that's just like a taste of how potent that scene was at the Good Life."

Film

Myka 9 is featured in the documentary '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme'', ''Where We're From: The Elements Documentary'', and the ''Hip Hop Evolution'' Netflix series. He is also featured in the award-winning documentary '' This Is the Life'', chronicling the music movement that was birthed at The

in South Central, Los Angeles. The Good Life Cafe is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Freestyle Fellowship in the early 1990s.

Publications

In 2022, Myka 9 released a book called ''My Kaleidoscope,'' which features song lyrics, a detailed oral history, and photography by Brian "B+" Cross and more. Myka 9 has also been featured in the books ''How to Rap'' and ''How to Rap 2'' by Paul Edwards, ''The Real Hiphop'' by Marcyliena Morgan, and ''The Yale Anthology of Rap.''

Discography

Studio albums

Solo

*''It's All Love'' (1999) *''Timetable'' (2001) *''A Work in Progress'' (2003) *''Citrus Sessions Vol. 1'' (2006) *'' 1969'' (2009) (with

) *''Mykology'' (2011) *''

Sovereign Soul ''Sovereign Soul'' is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Myka 9 and Canadian producer Factor. It was released on Fake Four Inc. in 2012. Music videos were created for "You Are Free" and "Mind Heights". Critical reception Thomas Quin ...

'' (2012) (with Factor Chandelier) *''Gramophone'' (2012) *''Famous Future Time Travel'' (2015) (with Factor Chandelier) *''Teleported'' (2017) (with Freematik) *''A New Suspiria'' (2018) (with Jade River) *''Tonight's Program'' (2019) (with AbnormaL Injustice) *''High Maintenance Jackson'' (2019) (with Slippers) *''In Motion'' (2019) (with Adriatic) *''Teleported 2'' (2020) (with Freematik) *''Nine Clouds'' (2021) (with Profound) *''The Ninth Dimension'' (2021) (with Freematik, as Flavor Wolf) *''FLVRWLF 2'' (2022) (with Freematik, as Flavor Wolf)

Freestyle Fellowship Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter. The group was a prominent part of the Good Life Cafe collective, and are part of the Project Blowed co ...

(Myka 9 with

, P.E.A.C.E. &

Self Jupiter Ornette Glenn (born March 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Self Jupiter, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship alongside Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Aceyalone. He is also one half of The ...

) *'' To Whom It May Concern...'' (1991) *''

'' (1993) *''

Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

'' (2001) *'' The Promise'' (2011)

Haiku d'Etat

(Myka 9 with

& Aceyalone) *'' Haiku d'Etat'' (1999) *'' Coup de Theatre'' (2004)

Magic Heart Genies

(Myka 9 with J the Sarge & DJ Drez) *''Heartifact'' (2008) *''Cardiac Arrest'' (2010) *''Pulmonary Artistry'' (2012)

AyeM Ray-Dio

(Myka 9 with Abstract Rude) *''AyeM Ray-Dio'' (2015)

Other releases

EPs

*''The Citrus Sessions'' (2005) *'' Shockadoom'' (2002) (

) *''It's All Myka'' (2003) *''Long Ago MMXVI'' (2016) (with AbnormaL Injustice) *''Oeuvre EP'' (2017) *''Prophetic Vision'' (2019) *''Stay Tuned'' (2020) (with AbnormaL Injustice) *''Constellations'' (2020) (with Adriatic) *''People Into Making Progress'' (2020) (with

)

Mixtapes

*''Power Plant'' (2011) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Discoveries from the Ninth Dimension'' (2020) (with Freematik)

Remix albums

*''To Whom It May Concern... Version 2.0'' (2001) (Freestyle Fellowship with J. Sumbi)

Compilations

*''Haiku de Theatre: The Best of Haiku'' (2017) ( Haiku d'Etat) *''Years (2009-2019)'' (2019) (with Factor Chandelier)

Singles

*''Bullies of the Block'' (1992) (

) *''Hot Potato'' (1993) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Los Dangerous'' (1997) ( Haiku d'Etat) *''Can You Find the Level of Difficulty in This?'' (1999) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Sex in the City'' (2001) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Temptations'' (2002) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Mike, Aaron & Eddie'' (2004) (Haiku d'Etat) *''Triumvirate'' (2005) (Haiku d'Etat) *''Citrus District'' (2006) *''Where Would You Be'' (2008) *''On This Earth'' (2010) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Get Mystical'' (2010) (Magic Heart Genies) *''Momz'' (2012) (Magic Heart Genies) *''Delusions of Grandeur'' (2012) *''Playing Our Song'' (2012) (Freestyle Fellowship) *''Move Beat'' (2012) (Magic Heart Genies) *''PTSD'' (2012) *''Gramophone (Kenny's Cookin' Remix)'' (2013) *''War with Yourself'' (2014) (with

) *''Farewell Welfare'' (2017) (with Otherwize & DJ JahBluez) *''Creeper'' (2017) (with Factor Chandelier) *''Good Lookin' Lady'' (2018) (with Jade River) *''The Sacred Well'' (2018) (with Factor Chandelier) *''Battle'' (2019) (with DJ JahBluez) *''Survive'' (2019) (with DJ JahBluez) *''Sea to Sea'' (2019) (with LaPrada &

Moka Only Daniel Denton (born November 14, 1973), better known by his stage name Moka Only, is a Canadian underground hip hop artist. He has won 3 JUNO Awards, 5 MuchMusic Video Awards, and has been nominated for 11 Western Canadian Music Awards. Origina ...

) *''Life or Death'' (2019) *''Upliftment'' (2020) *''Waves'' (2020) (with Magik Eyes Only) *''Walking with God'' (2020) (with Profound) *''Cloud Nine'' (2021) (with Profound) *''Joy & Pain'' (2021) (with Profound)

Guest appearances

- "Know Nots" and "B-Boy Kingdom" from ''

All Balls Don't Bounce ''All Balls Don't Bounce'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Aceyalone. It was released in 1995 on Capitol Records. In 2004, it was re-released on Project Blowed and Decon as ''All Balls Don't Bounce: Revisited'' with a bonus disc. It w ...

'' (1995) * The A-Team - "Slower Traffic to the Right" and "O.G. Crew (Heavyweights Round 3)" from ''Who Framed the A-Team?'' (2000) *

- "Life Death" from ''

Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives ''Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives'' is a 2001 studio album by Guillermo Scott Herren, the first released under the name Prefuse 73. The album was released on June 11, 2001 on Warp. The music was created by Herren alone, with some tracks featuri ...

'' (2001) *

- "First Things Last" from ''Lost Angels'' (2001) *

Radioinactive Kamal Humphrey de Iruretagoyena, better known by his stage name Radioinactive, is an American hip hop artist from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of The Shape Shifters. He was a member of Log Cabin along with Eligh, Murs and Scarub. He ...

with Daedelus - "Weather Locklear" from '' The Weather'' (2003) * Josh One - "Afterhours" from ''Grey Skies'' (2003) *

- "Originalz" from ''

Is Dating Your Sister ''Is Dating Your Sister'' is the second solo album by American rapper Pigeon John. It was released on Basement Records Basement Records is an American independent record label founded by Chuck Dietrich in 2000. The company is headquartered in La ...

'' (2003) * Busdriver - "Sphinx's Coonery" from ''

Fear of a Black Tangent ''Fear of a Black Tangent'' is a studio album by American rapper Busdriver. It was originally released on Mush Records in 2005. In Europe, it was released on Big Dada. Critical reception At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out o ...

'' (2005) * Blue Sky Black Death - "Grimey Styles" from ''

A Heap of Broken Images ''A Heap of Broken Images'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death. It was released by Mush Records in 2006. The album title comes from the T. S. Eliot poem ''The Waste Land ''The Waste Land'' is ...

'' (2006) * Mochipet - "Hope Again" from ''Microphonepet'' (2008) *

Factor Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to: Commerce * Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent * Factor (Scotland), a person or firm managing a Scottish estate * Factors of production, suc ...

- "Good Old Smokey" from ''Chandelier'' (2008) * BK-One with Benzilla - "MJage" from ''Radio Do Canibal'' (2009) * Busdriver - "Manchuria" from ''

Jhelli Beam ''Jhelli Beam'' is a studio album by American rapper Busdriver. It was released on Anti- in 2009. Critical reception At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an avera ...

'' (2009) *

Awol One Anthony Martin, better known by his stage name Awol One, is an alternative hip hop artist and graphic designer based in Los Angeles, California. Discography Albums Awol One * ''Souldoubt'' (2001) (with Daddy Kev) * ''Number 3 on the Phone'' (2 ...

& Factor - "Stand Up" from ''Owl Hours'' (2009) *

- "Thynk Eye Can (Haiku D'Etat Mix)" from ''

Rejuvenation Rejuvenation is a medical discipline focused on the practical reversal of the aging process. Rejuvenation is distinct from life extension. Life extension strategies often study the causes of aging and try to oppose those causes in order to slow ...

'' (2009) * Lazor Sword - "Cosmic Ride" from ''Lazor Sword'' (2010) * Factor - "That's How I Feel About It" from ''

Lawson Graham ''Lawson Graham'' is a studio album by Canadian hip hop producer Factor. It was released on Fake Four Inc. in 2010. It features guest appearances from Gregory Pepper, Cars & Trains, Radical Face, Sole, Myka 9, Ceschi, and Moka Only. It is an od ...

'' (2010) *

Noah23 Noah Raymond Brickley (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Noah23, is a Canadian-American hip hop artist from Guelph, Ontario. He is co-founder of the Plague Language collective and record label, and has been described as "one ...

- "Sea of the Infinite Wave" from '' Fry Cook on Venus'' (2011) *

K-the-I??? Kiki Ceac, better known by his stage name K-the-I???, is an American rapper and producer based in Los Angeles, California and currently signed to Fake Four Inc. History K-the-I??? began recording in 2002. He released several small-issue records ...

- "Social Misfit" from ''Synesthesia'' (2011) * Headnodic - "Viles" from ''Red Line Radio'' (2011) * Acid Reign - "Fantastic 4" from ''Diversity'' (2011) *

AmpLive Amp Live is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ from California. He was one half of the duo Zion I, but left the group in 2015 amicably. He has remixed works by Radiohead, Tokyo Police Club and Jamie Lidell. Life and career Born a ...

- "Get Served" from ''Murder at the Discotech'' (2011) * Sixo - "Trees" from ''Free Floating Rationales'' (2012) * Abstract Rude - "The Media" from ''Dear Abbey'' (2012) * Substance Abuse - "Paper Tigers" from ''Background Music'' (2012) * AF the Naysayer - "Imagerial Denouement" (2013) * Factor - "Denied" from ''

Woke Up Alone ''Woke Up Alone'' is a studio album by Canadian hip hop producer Factor Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to: Commerce * Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent * Factor (Scotland) ...

'' (2013) * Notorious BEN - "Human Horse Race" from ''Mind of Many Voices'' (2013) * VNDMG - "Daggers at Dawn" from ''Million Minds'' (2014) * Pseudoubt - "One Place" from ''Where Nothing Grows'' (2015) * Milo - "Zen Scientist" from ''So The Flies Don't Come'' (2015) * The Mighty Rhino - “The Shit That Will Fuck You Up” from ''We Will No Longer Retreat Into Darkness'' (2018) *

Jesse Dangerously Jesse Alexander McDonald, better known by their stage name Jesse Dangerously or The Halifax Rap Legend, is an alternative hip hop artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia and operating out of Ottawa, Ontario. Dangerously has released solo projects, pro ...

- "Life Jacket" from ''The Rap Hundreds'' (2018) * Timi Hendrix - "Autist" from ''Tim Weitkamp Das Musical'' (2018) * Ronesh - "Float" from ''Olive Branches'' (2019) * Factor Chandelier - "First Storm" from ''First Storm'' (2020) * Factor Chandelier - "Time Invested" and "Village Required" from ''Time Invested II'' (2022)

References

External links

*
Magic Heart Genies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Myka 9 Alternative hip hop musicians American hip hop record producers Rappers from Los Angeles West Coast hip hop musicians Living people 21st-century American rappers Record producers from California Project Blowed 1969 births