When you think of Harvard, you think of great Political figures, Litigators, Doctors, and Business folks. However, when you first take a glimpse of Mike Philson, it’s hard to tell that this artist had gone from public housing to a Harvard educated lifestyle within his young lifetime, graduating in Political Science and actually was invited to meet President Obama himself. Philson grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he encountered hard struggles growing up, “I went from some of the worse circumstances that made me say, I want my life to be the opposite of what it’s suppose to be, and to strive and push forward in a journey to do great things.” After attaining a Wall Street job working at an investment bank at a Switzerland-based bank, he decided to leave to pursue his music. In 2010, he began his journey to chase his dreams full- time and educate underprivileged children for college.
Internationally, Philson has performed on three different continents and now is traveling coast to coast in the United States performing, recording, and permoting his music, “Ignorance is dangerous, so many people are afraid to step outside of their bounds and leave their neighborhood. I’m not that person.” His music embodies his relatable struggles he has encountered and shares it with the world. While on his MMP Global & DVE Asian Promo Tour, Philson shot his video for his song, On My Way Home in Shanghai, China where his fan base following is strong. Non-believers can view his Chinese love on Youtube, where fans flock to him in public and some fans even begin crying when meeting him. The young Harvard grad turned rapper is now in LA working in overtime drive, “One thing I don’t want to be is just another nigga rappin’ just for the sake of rapping and not getting anywhere.”
Mike Philson is now working on his next album, The Purple Album, which describes the type of zone he was in during his production, “I see a lot of music in colors and purple is that color.” He plans on expanding his work and head out to Africa for a performance sometime soon. As for now, he has a few performances lined up in LA and will shoot out to New York soon for more projects. Some may call Philson crazy for leaving a secure job for his passion, but his inspirations is what keeps him going, “When you’ve seen the type of things that I’ve seen, and you’re on the bottom level and you gradually ascend and knowing God chose me to succeed and to succeed on a level that’s unfathomable, inspires me everyday.”
By: Mereb Gebremariam
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