Though he is one of the younger names in the city, Mike DFG brings a rare energy and boldness that is really exciting to listen to. His already impressive catalog is a firsthand look into what the next generation of Chicago artists are bringing to the table. Mike DFG is a name you'll definitely want to remember.
Hometown: WestSide Chicago
Top 3 Influences: Kanye, X, Tyler The Creator
Favorite Chicago Artists: Kanye, Chief Keef, Juice WRLD, G Herbo, Add-2 Lucki
Favorite spot in the city: Downtown/Loop. The air hit different down there for sure.
1st Listen Recommendation:
Definitely “Loose Squares” without a doubt that’s my best mixtape to date. Hottest mixtape in Chicago currently for sure.
What’s your background? What got you into creating?
I grew up on the West Side of Chicago, went to Gregory Elementary then I attended Lane Tech. I originally wanted to be a video game designer but I’ve always loved music for the longest however I loved playing video games more at the time because I was an avid gamer but when I was actually coding I realized I hated it so I was like “OK let’s try to get this music thing a shot and I just fell back in love with it more and more and more every time because creating as for me I can’t sit down you know be a lawyer or an accountant like I can do it but it does it keep me going as much as creating in all aspects.
How would you describe your style?
When I’m actually rapping I would say my flow is very versatile, very southern sounding because I was brought up listening to OutKast, Three 6 Mafia, Pimp C then I started gravitating towards DJ Screw, $uicideBoy$, while still maintaining like a diverse ear for music listening to Gorillaz, MF DOOM, X, J Cole, Nirvana JPEGMAFIA, My Chemical Romance Bring Me the Horizon, Green Day etc. even down to the production selection r it when I’m creating my own I want to make sure that it doesn’t sound like what anyone else is doing in Chicago so I tried to Differentiate myself from everyone else in the Chicago Underground scene currently. I would have to say I have one of the most thorough pens because I can write to anything for anyone which doesn’t limit me thankfully and most likely I’ll end up writing some songs for other artists as well in the future.
How does where you're from influence you and your craft?
Being from Chicago it has its pros and cons you know sometime is the area you live in that could affect you negatively but it can also be a blessing in disguise because it gets you motivated to leave that place for a better place so that’s why most of my songs you just hear nothing but hunger and drive just so that I can make my point that I wanna you know be able to move my people out of the hood.
What is Social Introverts?
Social Introverts is a collective that I created back in 2020 made up of upcoming artists/producers/photographers graphic designers/etc. S.I. is actually more of a family rather than being just a collective now. The current artists in S.I. Besides myself, it’s Nate Vintage, 3713 Q, Tony Mancanna, SO6IC and Inkxnsidorate. Matthew (our main engineer/producer), Jessy our videographer and Imoni & Sophia head of Talent Scouting and Graphic Design.
I noticed you performed at a Fourtune House event over the summer. Being that you’re a younger artist, how important was it for you to have that opportunity to perform and get your name out in the city?
Performing at Fortune House honestly was the best decision for my career so far. He gave me a lot of newfound confidence and it drove me more to create more music just to perform to see peoples reaction. It opened up a lot of doors that were previously closed due to the fact that I wasn’t performing and my name wasn’t prominent in the underground thing as it is now due to not doing any networking or just putting myself out there as an artist rather than just classifying myself as a guy who just does music. To now be able to sell out a concert and have a 45 minute set like an actual headlining artist with a discography that’s good enough the back it up feels amazing. And performing with my actual friends is the cherry on top.
How do you see yourself and your artistry evolving? What larger goals do you have for your career?
I see myself evolving beyond this current phase of artistry that I am in right now honestly in about nine months I guarantee you by nine months when you revisit my discography it’ll sound a whole lot different than what it sounds like now because right now I’m competing with myself just to see if I can continuously one up myself. Obviously a Grammy is up there but it’s not at the top of the list because I would rather have a true diehard fan base of 500,000 rather than just like 10 Million listen to my music here and there but really don’t care about it like those 500K do. I want to have S.I. be more of a recognizable figure like Dreamville or Odd Future in those aspects of entertainment and clothing but do it our way and not just follow the footprints in the snow so to speak. And one major thing that I’ve always wanted to do is buy some land and build houses there for the S.I. compound that way you know it’s like a "we really made it" moment for me.
What’s next for Mike DFG this year?
I have a new project dropping in May that has yet to be announced but I feel like some people may already know what’s going on but I’m currently working on a little EP to drop before the big project just to give them a taste of what to expect with this new project which should drop fairly soon. Also I have a sold out concert April 30th Co-Headlining with The Collideoscopes. And also performing with Nate Vintage, Jonathan Sides, DreamSen, James Failia, and ZombieCats Versus Schrodinger. All amazing talent and I’m glad to be gracing the stage with my newfound Artist family.
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