DJ Magic Mike

DJ Magic Mike, the breakthrough bass producer after 2 Live Crew, was the music's most crucial recording artist. An underground label impresario on the order of Master P, Mike's productions were much rougher than the slick Miami bass sound and pursued a gritty old-school vibe -- more akin to Ultramagnetic MC's than Luther Campbell -- long after most hip-hop producers had gone pop in the late '90s.

The former Michael Hampton began his mixing career before he was even a teenager, spinning at a roller rink and selling mixtapes. By the age of 14, he was hosting a drive-time radio show in his native Orlando. He began concentrating on club work after finishing high school, and debuted on wax with 1987's "Boot the Booty" for Vision Records.

One year later, local promoter Tom Reich offered DJ Magic Mike a chance at a half-share in his own Cheetah Records if Mike's releases sold well. His first singles under the agreement, "Magic Mike Cutz the Record" and "Drop the Bass," both became big regional hits, sparking the release of his debut album, DJ Magic Mike and the Royal Posse in 1989. He took more of a guiding hand over his own instrumental productions for the follow-up, 1990's Bass Is the Name of the Game, and the album went gold despite its low vocal content. Mike's breakthrough LP, Ain't No Doubt About It, appeared in 1992, followed by the release of two LPs on the same day in late March; both Bass: The Final Frontier and This Is How It Should Be Done charted, and the former went gold. Although his recording schedule continued apace during the mid-'90s (and the number of his full-length releases climbed into the double digits), fewer of his LPs charted. Mike picked up the commercial slack with advertising appearances for Coca-Cola and Pioneer, and has also worked with Sir Mix-a-Lot, 2 Live Crew, MC Shy D, and Poison Clan. The new millennium saw Mike issue Magic's Kingdom and continue his output of mix albums.

from Wikipedia:

DJ Magic Mike (born Michael Hampton) from Orlando, Florida is one of the most pivotal Miami bass producers.

Career

Magic Mike made his debut in the world of Miami Bass productions when he met Miami based producer/rapper Rod Whitehead (of Pryme Tyme fame) in 1986. Rod enlisted Mike as a DJ for his upcoming projects on Miami's Suntown Records, but after Mike reviewed the deal offered by label owner Edward Meriwether, he left the label, project unfinished. Shortly after while performing cuts on the radio, he received a call from Beatmaster Clay D to add cuts on an upcoming project for rappers MC Cool Rock and MC Chaszey Chess. This resulted in his first recorded work, Boot the Booty. However, Mike often found himself in the producer's chair by default while working with Clay D, and always remained uncredited. During this period, he also was called into Vision studios to add cuts to songs he had no creative input on, such as Chilla Frauste's Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose and Popular Demand's Don't Clock Me.

After realizing his back-breaking work for Clay D and Vision Records was not getting him the money nor fame he deserved, he returned to Orlando and landed a solo deal with the then unknown Cheetah Records, releasing his first batch of solo singles in 1988. Those led to a full length album in 1989 entitled "DJ Magic Mike and The Royal Posse", which featured many guest crews and rappers all based on his production and turntable antics. His following album Bass is the Name of the Game in 1990 saw the Miami Bass genre reach a zenith both creatively and commercially.

Much like most other Miami Bass producers, Magic Mike's music was never exclusively Miami Bass, but also aimed for the traditional Hip-Hop market. Eventually, he teamed up with MC Madness as his primary rapper during his more Hip-Hop oriented days, although there was no exclusive deal for this, and Mike continued on, collaborating with artists such as Sir Mix-a-Lot and Techmaster P.E.B..

Despite his history with Miami Bass and his overwhelming catalog of straight ahead Hip-Hop, he's also made a mark in the Florida breaks scene, including a track titled "2001" while alongside D.J Infinity and the 2005 single release "Cowbell". A compilation featuring instrumental versions of many of his hits was published by Mo Wax. Magic Mike currently plays regular Friday Nights at The Beacham Night Club in Downtown Orlando and On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day Sundays for "Service Industry Night" at House of Blues at Downtown Disney in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.