MIKE - Burning Desire ALBUM REVIEW

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MIKE, one of hip hop's most cerebral lyricists, drops his most versatile and vibrant album yet.
More rap reviews: • Hip Hop Reviews
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FAV TRACKS: ZAP, AFRICAN SEX FREAK FANTASY, SNAKE CHARM, PLZ DON'T CUT MY WINGS, REAL LOVE, U THINK MAYBE, SET THE MOOD, BILLBOARDS, 98, BURNING DESIRE, THEY DON'T STOP THE RAIN, SIXTEENS, SHOULD BE, LET'S HAVE A BALL
LEAST FAV TRACK: DAMBE
MIKE - BURNING DESIRE / 2023 / 10K / ABSTRACT HIP HOP
8/10 www.theneedled...
Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?

[@madvail]

Finally he enjoyed a MIKE album. Better late than never ig

[@all-caps3927]

Wow 8/10. Great to see.

[@HaZiqGD]

THE SATISFACTION

[@bruh......2005]

Yeah his last review of him was a total L. Even though to an extent I don't think that album is that good compared to his other albums and mixtapes, the way he potrayed MIKE on that review was just..... Not it.

[@default3252]

🤓 "Better late than never! I mean, he should agree with me ALL the time, but I'll accept this."

[@HipHopfan_]

Is it so difficult to type out "I guess"?

[@Barakoft]

“He’s finding ways to effectively put these warm feelings on his loneliness - on his stress” Melon finally gets it.

[@dffgffffffdddddddddd]

Nah fuck a critic

[@fruit2540]

MIKE getting a light 8 from Anthony is basically a 10

[@Loadinlogan]

8 basically means 10 for fans of the artist if you think abt it

[@bananas2879]

this album is incredible as well as most of MIKE’s discography.. whether fantano likes or dislikes this album i implore everyone to listen to his music and support this unique voice in hip hop🔮🪩

[@anshuuu9708]

Ill surely check him out, thanks for your review, please pin recommendations if you would

[@jeremyr5301]

@@anshuuu9708i would recommend listening to beware the monkey next! Stop worry is one of my favorites songs of all time!

[@SevenHunnid]

on my KZbin channel i do food reviews

[@bananas2879]

@@anshuuu9708 Of course! My personal favorite is “Disco!” and “Beware of the Monkey”. The transitions and production between songs are insanely creative. if youre interested he also releases music under his producer name Dj Blackpower, which includes some of his instrumental works👍🏼

[@bananas2879]

@@jeremyr5301 Stop Worry! is my alarm in the morning😅 Hearing Sister Nancy yell at me to “wake up!” to start my day is forever encouraging

[@TheMikeGodwin]

FANTANO GAVE A MIKE ALBUM A POSITIVE REVIEW! COLOSSAL W!

[@vepply]

"Goliath" review Excuze me im gonna go kill myself

[@woopoganntnt7379]

worrying about what fantanos opinion out of all people is sad lmao bros a whole ass cornball

[@logan4x6]

“IIT’S BIIIIIIIG…… FFFUUUUCKIIINN’…… MMIIKKEE!”

[@vonjames8859]

MIKEY B

[@ssbperidot5574]

An 8 for MIKE is like a 15 for anybody else

[@raph2k01]

This is truly a golden age of abstract hip-hop, so many incredible projects released these last two years.

[@curtis8795]

Mind recommending me some?

[@jacolbyroddey1067]

⁠@@curtis8795 Mike (of course) but also guys like navy blue, MAVI, Sideshow, and Ovrkast

[@oscarrivas4988]

Armand Hammer We Buy Diabetic Test Strips

[@slumpmanwun]

@@curtis8795maps billy woods

[@Whiskey_wayne]

billy woods​ - maps @@curtis8795

[@aria13788731]

MIKE deserves the love, this album is definitely one of my favorites this year. You also missed out on beware the monkey, you should go back to that and engage with it the way you did with burning desire

[@forkrunner2208]

Seriously, I feel like that record would appeal a lot more to his tastes than MIKE’s other stuff

[@masonshattuck6217]

Yes I think Beware the Monkeys is a fantastic record. Might be my favorite from mike

[@duffal0]

Beware the Monkey is not for me, but as a huge MIKE fan, if anyone likes Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE’s album Tears of Joy is very similar to Some Rap Songs.

[@odetodunstan]

@@duffal0 lmao

[@mikesway4522]

BOTM is soooo good!!!

[@kraftpunk6516]

hating on mussel beach is crazy you just dont get it yet old man

[@josephiloanusi6959]

At all! 😂 It’s the voice and delivery he hates that I love most

[@Aaringrey]

Exactly, the beat is dark and hypnotic, I couldn’t leave it alone, they flowing like honey cough syrup on the beat

[@jadenredd]

this was the first MIKE album he finally enjoyed, and still forgot about beware of the monkey, you don’t get my stamp fantano

[@jirehjirehjirehjireh]

Yeah missing Beware of the Monkey is crazy. He talks about a lack of song structure but BOTM has that in spades.

[@woopoganntnt7379]

fantano doesn’t know music

[@floatingoliver562]

​@@woopoganntnt7379Prolly knows 1000x more than you bud

[@woopoganntnt7379]

@@floatingoliver562 probably but still not enough to be a critic

[@floatingoliver562]

@@woopoganntnt7379 Who says that you HAVE to listen to a huge amount of stuff to be a critic? Despite that, Fantano has literally listened to thousands of Albums, that's more than enough to be a critic lmao

[@StopTalking733]

Thought we were never gonna get another Mike review again from fandango after the Weight of the World incident but what a pleasant evening this has turned into

[@ictogon]

All caps when you spell the man's name

[@StopSomething]

@@ictogon blud thinks he's doom

[@Vallthecomputer]

It's an amazing album. The cover is so slick with the Friday the 13th, so I'm happy you like it, Melon.

[@abyss1138]

One of the best album covers I’ve seen in a while. 🔥

[@towwzz8560]

Yeah they have a gta style Jason on the cd cover too

[@AnarchistEskimo]

Also awesome that it actually dropped on Friday the 13th. My man had it all planned out!

[@coledog8861]

WE WON.

[@EsperSofrito]

This album should be on top Hip Hop album contender for Grammy’s no cap

[@krashdummiez007]

Yep but they gonna give it to ice spice 😂

[@olajohnson4686]

Mike is becoming a legendary rapper for me, The song was Epic on it's own... I truly appreciate Mike loved listening to his music. True life and extremely inspirational... ### DaKing

[@AnarchistEskimo]

Don't forget all caps when you spell the man's name lol but I totally agree! He has attained legend status in a relatively short span of time!

[@bradyfox1221]

I loved that every time you said MIKE you screamed it at the top of your lungs. Very cool

[@Aaaaaaaaaaa22211]

Epic comment friend. Take my upvote good sir. If I had money I'd give you gold 😂

[@sparkygreenandfriends92]

MIKE just makes me happy, dude is so constantly getting better.

[@jirehjirehjirehjireh]

Honestly didn’t expect an 8 from Fantano. Even when he likes a MIKE project it feels oddly reluctant😂😂 Some of my favorite tracks like Mussel Beach are his least enjoyed. I’m surprised you didn’t hear some of the evolution on this project in his previous album Beware of the Monkey, like lusher instrumentation and stronger song structure. Overall though I still think you make great points and I’m glad you enjoyed the project (though I do see MIKE as being more optimistic in general than you seem to perceive).

[@realSiRGRiFT]

Man, MIKE is fuckin amazing

[@ssofttouch]

"slovenly delivery" is his trademark imo and a big part of what makes his stuff unique and enjoyable

[@aerate]

he finally turned around on MIKE, what a character arc

[@default3252]

It's almost like he's just a passionate music fan who inevitably dislikes stuff sometimes, and not a demon crafted and sent by Yakub himself to tear down black art.

[@ictogon]

All caps when you spell the man's name

[@c4gam1ng12]

@@whoisethanThere are some people who think that he has a vendetta against black people just because he doesn’t give every album released by a person of color a positive score

[@aerate]

@@default3252what

[@BigSexyBlackMans]

@@c4gam1ng12two of his 10/10 albums literally are by black artists, people who say this with 100% seriousness are on that good kush and alcohol

[@JackieLombardi]

I love that you're finally giving a MIKE project it's flowers, but it's intresting for me that you can see the respect in songs like Snake Charm or Billboards but not Baby Jesus or even Dambe...personally i think MIKE is at his best when he's doing those surreal, choppy soul sample beats.

[@jrums5498]

I agree baby Jesus and snake charm were my favorite tracks

[@vintagetypebeat]

Thanks anthony I can finally listen to this album now

[@LucasJeffcoate]

How did he miss Beware of the Monkey 😂

[@dez-m]

I guess he was thinking in terms of albums? BWOTM was a mixtape, but a FIRE MIXTAPE!!

[@LucasJeffcoate]

@@dez-m who says it was a mixtape? Pretty sure it’s an album

[@username3623]

@@LucasJeffcoate mike called it a mixtape on his bandcamp but its pretty much an album

[@LucasJeffcoate]

@@username3623 just looked in the description on band camp and he uses the world album but all good

[@jordanedmond5075]

Thats his best one imo😭😭😭

[@seventhtenth]

I guess bops are why death grips got popular when experimenting with pop elements. MIKE feels to me more like a lyricist using minimalism to hit the words harder. Giving emotional and existential reflection instead of instant gratification from novelty or pace or monetary surrealism. I guess it's cathartic music to me and mood disorder music to FANTWON.

[@SzathmaryAdam]

Been listening to this a LOT lately and it's creeping up to perfection. I might've been too high, but last night it was fckn amazing. Currently it's a strong 9 for me, getting better with each repetition

[@JrSmyth]

This & that Pink Siifu x Turich Benjy in heavy rotation rn

[@cacaisaac]

my album of the year so far, like previous MIKE albums it gets better with every listen

[@dearthunderstorm4062]

zap has one of the craziest beats I’ve ever heard

[@wrldsendsrhpsdy]

just got into MIKE with this new album, and it's definitely a contender for AOTY

[@e.t.v.1255]

Insane album but im favorite is still tear of joy

[@jacobwelsh462]

It’s the discord of MIKE that brings its own harmony in the Chaos

[@caleb06226]

@yktv6824 LMFAO I'm fucking crying

[@drakesayshi3321]

Love his delivery and his beats

[@whatwastheplan]

This thing was great to go through blind, & in retrospect Faith is a Rock is also very appreciable... Always looking forward to Wiki & now MIKE's new work

[@MrBananun]

MIKE is one of the best rapper at the moment for me! What a great artist

[@aR0ttenBANANA]

MIKE finally did it

[@mcnels0n]

Saw MIKE live at pitchfork music festival in London last night, he was incredible, hearing these songs live was amazing.

[@AnarchistEskimo]

Wondered why you never reviewed masterpieces like BotM or Disco! but happy you finally recognize MIKE as a unique voice in hip hop and an incredible lyricist and producer.

[@BlinGsterTinGster]

Yo Anthony you forgot to put this on the loved list it got an 8. STAY ORGANIZED!!!!

[@st0verr]

AOTY contender!! Some of MIKE's best work.

[@jaesapph6852]

this album is incredible, another testament to growth time in and time out with every project, but this feels like a coming of age, felt as though he truly dug deep in this, samples, features, instrumentals, curation - top tier

[@tahirzion]

we finally got him boys

[@chadtheafricanbullfrog418]

melon finally sees the vision

[@Sam.AviMusic]

He saw that beware the monkey shirt design and changed his ways 😭😭😭

[@sammystank7174]

Still can’t get into MIKE honestly, it just makes me wanna sleep

[@the6am168]

Crazy cause I be hitting the gym to his music, one day you’ll get it

[@Abundanc3beats]

This was definitely his best album and its about time MIKE gets a good review from Fantano. Well deserved and well overdue.

[@vfd10]

now that you’ve reviewed this, we just need you to review that damn mick jenkins album

[@clearlyitskai]

YES MIKE REVIEW

[@EsperSofrito]

Best album I’ve listened to this year Hands Down. This album is so layered and multifaceted, the replay-ability is very high for me. I can see myself listening to this album years from now and falling in love with it again and again. 9/10 for me cause the album does have some skips, but that’s not even saying much as the album is basically 2-discs worth of material.

[@YAMAMALUVMETOO]

If you haven’t already, gotta dive into Maxo’s discography. Just released two great projects this year, “Even God Has A Sense Of Humor”, and “Debbie’s Son” really dope!

[@Toastibruh]

Fantano finally likes a MIKE album??????? Deserved, this album is so good

[@Malik_Hoff]

You forgot to put this in your "Loved" playlist

[@0_Cardboard_0]

WE DID IT GUYS

[@hillelmeltzer3276]

I think many of the parts you disliked I ended up enjoying, which is why I would rate the album higher. What you described as 'weak track structure' and tracks 'blending into each other' I see as an eye opening abstraction of hip hop form, which builds on the albums themes of depression and negative feelings. Still a great review Anthony, happy to see you finally enjoyed a MIKE album, lol

[@moose891]

Skipping BOTM is crazy. He just hits such unique sounds in creating these tracks that I really don't get from anywhere else, not even really his others albums. Haven't really listened to Burning Desire as many times but personally it's the production that I find separates MIKE, not his rapping/lyricism. Not that he's a bad rapper to be fair, more that I'd prefer MIKE on a BOTM track than an Alchemist beat.

[@damonopz]

Yes Mike so deserved this so glad to see big boy finally coming around

[@guvnordoom1418]

I ADVISE ERRYBODY TO LISTEN TO MIKE

[@lynchstan9745]

Probably his most surprising review of 2023

[@AnarchistEskimo]

Lol it only took a couple of weeks for him to surpass that with the Sexyy Red review

[@Spades20XX]

Wild that I’m feeling this catharsis because I’ve enjoyed this album more than Disco! And that’s wild af

[@120nsb]

I can finally enjoy MIKE, now that Fantano also likes his music

[@zeshanahmed32]

Does Anthony not know about his 2022 project beware of the monkey? Still think that’s his top record, he didn’t mention it.

[@TheLewisWarren]

he can't acknowledge it because he's on the alternative cover depicted as the devil

[@vepply]

bro u didnt even mention BOTM i think u would love that even more than BD lol

[@user-dv4bm2pk5e]

I’ve tried to get into MIKE music but it just isn’t for me unfortunately :/ glad people are enjoying this though

[@Javi1da]

Review BabyTron

[@tehzo]

HE REDEEMED HIMSELF!!!!!!!

[@remingtongagnard4442]

Faith is a Rock deserves more credit, fantastic project. Top tier, only a few songs that dont click

[@nbtn]

thank god this is a positive review

[@metalfacetrey]

REAL LOVE, IM SEARCHING FOR A REAL LOVE🗣🗣🗣🗣

[@rowan5109]

Great album this. Anthony recommend the new CASISDEAD too. Might be worth a review. See what you think.

[@jaxsonsynott5717]

finally was waiting for you to react to this

[@ariseymour5896]

Been waiting for a review of this one for a minute

[@kevinscotton]

Really enjoying this body of work. It has become a staple in my own creative process and has helped me think more abstractly while listening.

[@BaronVonBingus]

So glad you gave this one a spin!

[@iLazyNinja133]

This review feels backhanded, but maybe it’s just me

[@freddyreyes1783]

MELON FINALLY SEES THE LIGHT THAT IS BIG FUCKIN MIKE

[@cheeseballjohnson2368]

FINALLY WE WRE SO BACK

[@morganhart1396]

Mussel Beach was so fire wtf. The flows and bars are 10/10. “Shawty I know that she love me but it really be money be breaking my heart.” 🔥

[@EX-Flashkick]

HE FINALLY DID IT

[@mfboom3055]

My man literally forgot about Beware of the Monkey when he mentioned his previous albums😑

[@nibblingconscience]

fr that made me a lil mad

[@dffgffffffdddddddddd]

The disrespect

[@rashadfreeman971]

that’s a mixtape

[@StopSomething]

@@rashadfreeman971 no it's not

[@Bleseddd1]

this is the first review im actually listening too cause im curious how he finally converted to mike fan

[@DXTR_likesrap]

Guess MIKE just not for everyone

[@reph_]

this album is so gooddd score is super deserved

[@jublacabra]

Slovenly…what a cool word I’ve never heard before. Thanks, bro. Now, off to listen.

[@vacalixto1186]

Lets gooo, Weight of the World still my fav but this one a close second. Amazing

[@sdoyajdartistwho]

Mike appreciation is alwaysa great thing

[@ArosNacht]

FINALLY THE REVIEW IVE BEEN WAITING FOR

[@Sky-dz1gj]

I guess that alternate BOTM cover did have a positive effect 🥴 MIKE and Amaarae got the AOTY locked, nobody else's bodies of work compare at all

[@techled]

Mike changed my life

[@greengoblin4391]

I’m happy he liked this at least. Mikes opus

[@jamesrichardson4663]

Mikes burning desire should get album of the year imo

[@randomaccountmadeyup]

Been waiting for this.

[@Ten_Thousand_Locusts]

5:44 lol weird as hell that you mention this, because I've been bumping these exact two albums for the past two weeks now.

[@jonesinc.5860]

Plz don't cut my wings is a favorite for me. MIKE genuinely is coming up as a new sound to hip hop. Anthony giving him an 8 is HYPE. IMO it's good enough!

[@Andrew-vh7ty]

Dambe is amazing

[@rolodexpropaganda]

Definitely. He talks about the flow being foggy but that adds to the tracks dark feel . I guess he want MIKE to scream over the track or some shit. That slow chill flow is dope asf and that’s just MIKE style and it’s not like you can’t hear every word he saying cause I most definitely can.

[@Andrew-vh7ty]

@@rolodexpropaganda yup, some of his realest bars on dambe too. “Sittin by ya arm I get to listen to ya heart play, an artist, but now adays that rhythm give me heart ache, and hardships. I love to feel ya spirit after long days and car trips, my brother know I’m witchu for the long way, the farthest!!!”

[@predaconpredacon5961]

Is he aware of beware of the monkey??

[@ictogon]

What monkey

[@ictogon]

AHHHHHHHhh

[@predaconpredacon5961]

@@ictogon I warned you.

[@alexsolli6680]

MIKE review long time coming. great record, this one. you had some good insights. thank you for that. Beware of the Monkey 10/10 dont @. x.

[@maadvillain]

Mans is finally acknowledging him

[@josephobonyo2]

I gotta give this another try. So many people seem to be loving it, though I didn't get through it when I tried to listen.

[@jirehjirehjirehjireh]

While I love this album, I think Beware the Monkey and the project with Wiki are listenable and not as hard to get into.

[@josephobonyo2]

@@jirehjirehjirehjireh I love Faith is a Rock. I think Mike was pretty good there. Also, I just listened again, and while I'm not really loving everything about it, I think the first few songs were what put me off initially. The vocals felt too low. The album is a vibe though 👌🏿

[@PERKIODURKIO]

Okay. So these are my favourite MIKE songs that I think you should try. Planz, Iz U Stupid, Golden Hour, Da Screets.

[@rolodexpropaganda]

@@jirehjirehjirehjirehBD got way more replay value than Faith is A rock even with the length of tracks that’s on BD. Every track slapped .

[@uhok_jp]

glad i stayed up until 3am to see the melon enjoying big mike for once lfg