MIKE Releases New Album 'Beware of the Monkey'

New York City rapper MIKE has dropped new album Beware of the Monkey, which follows his 2021 effort Disco!

MIKE is on to his tenth album, Beware of the Monkey, which released on Wednesday (December 21). The 13-track LP makes MIKE's latest solo release since 2021's Disco! and also follows collaborative LPOne More with Wiki and The Alchemist, which dropped last month. The title of Beware of Monkey takes its name from a horoscope the Brooklyn-raised rapper saw in a Chinese restaurant, who interpreted it as a foreboding message.

Accompanying the album's release is a new video for single "No Curse Lifted," directed by Ryosuke Tansuka. In the video, MIKE is seen rapping in front of a vehicle in front of an all-white backdrop. The single also follows "Nuthin I Can Do Is Wrng," "What Do I Do?" and "Stop Worry!" featuring Jamaican legend Sister Nancy.

In a new interview with Vulture, the rapper explained how he got Sister Nancy on "Stop Worry!" after performing with her and "I'm Still In Love With You" vocalist Marcia Aitken in New York City last year.

"I was thinking of who to get on it, and I was like, I’m not finna get no reggae artist ’cause that’s kind of corny. But then I was like, Oh, nah. I could get the reggae artist. And she was down," MIKE said. "We even tried to keep her more professional than usually we keep it; we tried to get her to do a contract. Then her manager hit us back saying that she said to “stop worry.” [Laughs.] And I lowkey was like, That was hella G, and I ended up calling that the name of the song."

In time for the release of Beware of the Monkey, MIKE also premiered the album in-full on his YouTube channel.

Listen to Beware of the Monkey below.