Interview with "Mike West"

Mike West- Recording Artist,BMI Songwriter/Composer and Grammy Recording Academy Voting Member Grinding and Hustling his way to the top of the Hip Hop charts. Mike West has what it takes to be a formidable artist in the game. He believes in his skills, has the drive and determination of a tiger, and will not take “no” for an answer. Mike West is a product of two completely different environments- the gang bang warfare in Los Angeles,Ca and the booty shake scene of the Dirty South. He is apart of and has strong ties with the late great Tupac’s “Thug Life Family” and Miami’s own “Luke Records & Films”. "The people in my life growing up were all street hustlers. Most of them lived hard and died young. My father wasn’t around so these were the people that I gravitated to. Thank god I had the chance to get out of there and saw that the world was bigger when I left South Florida” Says Mike about his upbringing. While in Miami he had his chance encounter with the Dirty South’s 1st musical legend and King of Miami, Luther Campbell. There he was given the opportunity to work side by side for his Independent Label, “Luke Records & Films” as the Head of Promotions. He also guest DJ’d various clubs throughout the area and started building his underground fan base. This is when he knew that day he wanted to step out of the shadows and jump into the limelight as a recording artist. “I went on the road with Luke and that’s where I saw how he got nothing but love from his fans. Pitbull and I came from that era. We were young, aggressive, and hungry to succeed in this business. Even today, Luke still encourages me not to give up and showed me the Love/Hate relationship of the music industry.” While others from South Florida finally got the respect and notoriety that they deserved, Mike West’s career seemed to stall. But his determination finally paid off when he got his own distribution for his 2000 debut album, “They Never Knew.” Sam Goody’s Music and other stores throughout South