I dabble in hip-hop and rap music; I’m not very knowledgeable about the genre, but I have certain songs and artists that I like to jam to.
My favorite rapper goes by the name of Mike Stud, although his legal name is Michael Seander. Stud is originally from Rhode Island and now resides in Los Angeles so he can work on his music in the city of stars.
Mike Stud started making music in 2010 as a joke while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was originally pursuing a career in baseball. In 2006 Stud received the Gatorade Player of the Year award which provided him with a full scholarship to Duke University where he was the pitcher for the Blue Devils. He finished his pitching career as a senior at Georgetown University.
After getting surgery, Stud turned to music to pass time while in recovery. He released his first song, “College Humor,” as a joke for his baseball buddies on YouTube. When the song blew up he decided to pursue music full time after finishing his baseball eligibility and graduating from Georgetown University.
Since his first release in 2010, Stud has since dropped six mixtapes: “Toast to Tommy,” “Click,” “#SundayStudTape,” “#SundayStudTapeVol.2,” “It’s Spring Break Homie” and “This Isn’t The Album,” along with three full length albums: “Relief,” “Closer” and “These Days.”
Along with his mixtapes and albums, Stud has also grown his fan base through releasing remixes of popular songs on YouTube. He puts his own verses and spins on songs that allow people to connect with them because they know the song from another artist, but then he has them explore his original music through the covers.
Mike Stud has also gained a number of his fans through his YouTube series “Touring’s Boring.” This is a series Stud started with his touring crew to give fans a behind the scenes look at what they go through on tour.
This gained so much attention that the television network Esquire took the format and turned it into a TV series called “This is Mike Stud,” where they take you behind the scenes of touring, but also give you a look at all the people in Mike’s life and a short biography of how he became a rapper.
I had the opportunity to see Mike Stud live as well as meet him at a show in Los Angeles earlier this year. Although his music may not be appropriate for everyone–several songs have some suggestive themes to them as most rap songs do–I will say that his live performances are insane and he is one of the most genuine artists I’ve met.
If you enjoy hip hop or rap music I highly suggest you give him a listen.
Story by
Tia Wilson for SUU News
tiawilson1111@yahoo.com
Photo courtesy of mikestud.com
