We were lucky to catch up with Mike Mongo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mike , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
When I was younger I always knew I wanted to be a rapper. I feel in love with hip-hop at an early age – I can’t remember the exact age however it was the early 90s. I can recall hearing my brother playing various west coast artist that were relevant for that time as well as east coast artists. I would try to write my own rhymes and I would beat on the kitchen table. These were the early beginnings of me falling in love with hip-hop.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My early beginnings were in Boston, MA. I went to a middle school with a lot of talented kids. We all fed off each other. One of my friends was the nephew of a well known producer from Boston, by the name of Nelly Pro Toolz. Nelly, allowed my friend and I, to record at his studio free of charge. Up until this point this was my only exposure to a real recording studio. As the years went on I met another producer named Max Powers. Max, was a student at Northeastern University. He started his own label and I recorded and released records with him around the age of 16. I then invested into building my own studio around the same time and started producing myself. By the time I was 18 I relocated to Atlanta to begin a new journey on my own.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The music industry has a lot of highs and lows. After the release of my second album I took some time to evaluate my strategies and procedures on releasing music in commerce. I saw the shift in music and I wanted to prepare myself for what was to come. I learned more about photography and videography and invested into educating myself through online schooling and getting the adequate filming gear to film myself. This took some time and strategic planning. However, I was committed and I trusted my process no matter how long it took. It ended up taking me four (4) years during this time I continued to work on music but I completely evolved into a photographer/videographer with that added to my arsenal. I started recording and releasing music videos every week from Aug-2023 to April-2024. This allowed me to be 100% self sufficient as I can produce, write, record, and film entire by myself.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
To piggy back of my last response I had to work a full time job during this time. Most artist don’t like to do that as there time isn’t being put toward their ultimate goal however, there are times you have to pivot and generate income in order to create a bigger opportunity. I’ve learned this throughout journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mike-mongo.com
- Instagram: @mizzoislegit
- Facebook: @mizzoislegit
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/mizzoislegit
Image Credits
DuVoir Osbourne
Daniel M Photography