Michael Millions is an up-and-coming hip-hop artist and music engineer whose roots are planted and thriving in Richmond. It’s the city he refers to in “Sirens,” on his 2018 album Hard to be King, as “once one of those capitals where those murders be.”
It’s a calm Wednesday evening in the city’s East End, and at the beginning of a dead-end street lies Michael Millions’ townhouse. The blinds are closed, the grass sits uncut and a faint beat emanates from the house.
Past the front door, the beat becomes less muffled. A haze is in the air and the smell of incense hits the nose. At the end of a hallway is a living room, or what appears to be.
“Could you turn my headphones up a little bit?” Millions, 35, calls out from the back-left corner of the room behind his makeshift recording booth.
Depending on the day, Millions’ house — or as most people say, “Mike’s house” — could be a typical suburban living space, or a hub for Richmond’s growing hip-hop scene, hosting such artists and friends as Nickelus F, Fly Anakin, and Young Flexico.
Mike stands at the back door of his house while answering a text and getting some fresh air on April 7, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia.
Millions is an up-and-coming hip-hop artist and music engineer whose roots are planted and thriving in Richmond. It’s the city he refers to in “Sirens,” on his 2018 full-length album Hard to be King, as “once one of those capitals where those murders be.”
The artist was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and raised in the River City. His mom was a dentist, and his dad was in the Navy. Millions received a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a focus in photo/film from Norfolk State University, but he always knew he just wanted to make music.
“My parents never told me what to be. I always told my parents I was going to be a rapper, and they would just be like, ‘Did you turn them college applications in?’”
After a short run in the communications field, Millions ventured into IT. He made music and worked in the IT department at the Bank of America in downtown Richmond until his job was dissolved.
The same day he got the call, he got a check in the mail for a music project he was a part of. That’s when Millions made the choice to leap headfirst into music.
A flyer for Mike’s 4th Studio album, Ghost of a $20 Bill, released in 2014, sits on his desk on April 24, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. He didn’t do any promo for this album till after it’s release. “I just finished the record and released it,” Mike said, “I didn’t hear anything for a little bit, it made me not want to get out of bed for couple of days.” A few weeks later, the album was featured on The Source and was recognized for its “brash and introspective sound.”Mike thumbs through an old notebook on April 24, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. He is the co-founder, alongside his brother Brandon Bass, of Purple Republic Music Group, a record label the two started after Mike’s first music deal fell through. This page is the rollout plan for his most recent project, Hard to be King.Mike works on a record he’s been crafting for a few months on April 24, 2019 in Richmond Virginia. He hasn’t been fully focused on his own music because of other obligations. “I have a few engineering projects I have to knock out before I can fully get back into it,” Mike said.Mike and Richmond Producer Fan Ran listen for any production issues on the final cut of an unreleased album on March 30, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. Most of Mike’s time is spent mixing and mastering projects for both local and high profile artists; it’s his breadwinner.Mike sits at a light on the intersection of Q and 25th St. next to the police precinct in the East End of Richmond, Virginia on April 8, 2019. Mike never thought this area of Richmond would be as redeveloped as it is now. “None of this stuff [apartment complexes, grocery stores] used to be here,” Mike said.Mike stands waiting for his tacos at El Taccorey on April 8, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. He calls this area of Richmond “the multicultural zone.”Mike, his brother Brandon “Namebrand” Bass, and radio host Blair Durham talk about the business of music on a radio show, April 17, 2019 in Hampton, Virginia.Mike lays vocals on a record in his home studio on April 24, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. “I only record when I know what I have to say is going to mean something,” the artist said.Mike working late night after a 3-day-long Game of Thrones binge on April 24, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. Mike is waiting on his tour dates for the summer and is getting things ready for his next project. The artist said he doesn’t know what comes next, but he couldn’t be any happier. “Life, it should scare you a little bit, right? Or something about what you are doing, you know what I mean?” Mike said.
By Gessler Santos-Lopez, Capital News Service. Top Photo: Michael Millions performs live at Wonderland RVA in downtown Richmond on Feb. 28. This was Mike’s last stop on his Silkys and Switchblades Tour with fellow Richmond artist Nickelus F. The two artists performed at venues throughout the Southeast for a month.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
More information at vcucns.com
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