Micelph

Southeast Alaskan rapper, Micelph has been rapping since 1998. He first appeared on the Highly Unlikely album, The Birth along with MC’s Phonetic and LP3. He has just finished working on two solo projects, “Micelphishweighs” and “Celph-Made” which are due to release on May 19th, 2006.

His album, “Micelphishweighs” is a true solo album, entirely produced and written by himself. “I love the title of the album,” Micelph says, “because honestly, I made this album for myself. I wanted to make something entirely on my own and that’s what this album is.” The album features a mixture of old and new material, all containing the insightful, well written lyrics Micelph is known for. In his song, “Don’t Know Why” he explains his artistic motives, explaining that he’s joining a “time long tradition to write songs of vision.” “I feel like it’s my duty as an artist,” he explains. “Every song an artist makes influences every person that really listens to it. I have to keep that in mind when I write my lyrics, and try to inspire positivity in my audience.” Such themes are consistent throughout the album. In “The Questions” he tackles the issue of humanity’s hostile tendencies. His song “This Message” touches on numerous issues, including trust, sloth, and substance abuse. In “Cloud 9″ he explores his own shortcomings and how “everything you do is judged in scrutiny.” The album also takes breaks from such serious issues with songs about relationships, like “Shook” and “I’ll Be Alright.” The boastful “Happenin’ Act / What You Got?” where he exerts his “sick sentencing” and “thunderous flow” is balanced out by the humbly written “Wonder Years” where he talks about growing up and realizing that “life is precious and I’m lucky just to have one.” His other project, “Celph-Made” is an instrumental album. It has 26 tracks, including instrumental versions of the songs from “Micelphishweighs.”

Micelph was born as Michael Schinke in Green Bay, Wisconsin. When he was three years old his family moved to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. He moved to Sitka, Alaska when he was thirteen and has lived there ever since. “I love it in Sitka.” He says. “I can’t imagine myself living anywhere else.” He started rapping in 1998, and soon joined other aspiring artists Phonetic and LP3 in their group, Highly Unlikely. Teamed up with producer D-Script from Angoon, they recorded their first album, “The Birth” and soon gained a local following. Through Highly Unlikely, and with his new solo release, Micelph has established himself as an excellent lyricist, fuelled by the many mysteries of the world around him. When asked about his plans for the future, he says, “Musically, now that I’m finally finished with this solo album, I’m ready to start collaberating with as many artists as I can. I started my own record label called SEAK Alliance with the focus of joining artists from all over southeast Alaska.”