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The show began with a surprise; Philadelphia's own Icon the Mic King opened with an impressive set. His standard underground hip-hop beats sprinkled with sporadic Rhodes piano melodies were unimpressive, but his flow transcended this and got the audience moving. At one point Icon blindfolded himself and had the audience pass up random objects to the front. He started a flow while his assistant handed them to him and, without missing a beat, he deciphered what they were and incorporated them into his lyrics in what was perhaps the most impressive single performance of the evening. - The Whit
Discography
Full Length
2002 - Music For Bootleggas EP - Limited Edition CD-R release
2003 - Rent Money Music - Previously released material, limited edition CD-R release
2004 - Intricate Spectrum EP Pre-Release Blue
2004 - Intricate Spectrum EP Pre-Release Red
2005 - Intricate Spectrum EP (Beyond Space Ent)
2007 - Mike and the Fatman LP (Uprising)
2007 - Rent Money Music II: C-Notes for the Car Note (Indieground)
12" Releases
2002 - "Ahead of My Time" f/ Tonedeff b/w "Ides of March" / "This Means War" f/ PackFM (Indieground)
2004 - "IndieInBurns" f/ C-Rayz Walz b/w "You Don't Want It" / "Art Imitates Life" (Third Earth Music)
2006 - Mike and the Fatman - "King Me" b/w "Born Alone Die Alone" / "Recognize Kojak" f/ Poison Pen, KWOTE Scriptures (Uprising)
Guest Appearances
2001 - "Final Lesson" / "Disassimilation" - Anonymous INC Anonymous INC LP (6 Months)
2001 - "This Means War" - PackFM Featured Material Vol 1 (FMania Inc)
2002 - "Idiot Box" - NOBS Musicide LP (Three Sides of A Circle)
2002 - "Obligatory Posse Cut" w/ Breez Evahflowin, Poison Pen, E-F@mm, Pumpkinhead, Cunninlynguists, etc. - E-F@mm Happy Fuck You Songs (QN5 Music)
2002 - "Codename: Fuckyall" w/ PackFM, Tonedeff, Uncle T - PackFM Featured Material Vol 2 (FMania Inc)
2003 - "beatjackolantern3 (sdkfc)" w/ Sankofa - Sankofa: Obese America (Indie Pennant)
2003 - "Extra" w/ PackFM, KWOTE Scriptures KWOTE Scriptures Extra 12" (The Lost Link Inc)
2004 - "Lucky" w/ Ceschi, Jesus Taylor Thomas - Ceschi Fake Flowers (Beyond Space Ent)
2005 - "Angels & Demons" w/ Awar - Awar Glory Days
2006 - "End of Skies" w/ Ceschi, Jesus Taylor Thomas, Shoshin - Ceschi They Hate Francisco False (Beyond Space Ent)
2006 - "Don't Fuck Around"w/ Infallible - Infallible The Stratosphere (The Art of Stealth)
2006 - "Excuses" w/ PackFM - PackFM whutduzFMstand4? (QN5 Music)
2006 - "IndieInBurns" w/ C-Rayz Walz - C-Rayz Walz Singular Plurals 2 (Sun Cycle Ent)
2007 - "My Best Move" w/ Seez Mics, K-Cromozone - Educated Consumers Write/Hear (Verizum)
2007 - "Chorus Collection" w/ C-Rayz Walz, Levi, Hykoo, Messiah-J, KWOTE Scriptures, MC Caness, Wordsworth, Karniege, Double A.B., Dusted Dons,
Tame One, Glock Rockwell, R.A. the Rugged Man, StaHHr The Femcee, L.I.F.E. Long, Sha-Dula, MarQ Spekt, Thirstin Howl III, Klu Sheisty, Sean Price,
Swave Sevah, Poison Pen, Chan, Mc Unknown, Kosher Dill, Block McCloud, Many Styles, Omega Moon, Immortal Technique
- C Rayz Walz Chorus Collection (Urchin Studios)
2007 - "Section8" w/ Sankofa, JON?DOE, AthenA, Ryan Officer, iCON the Mic King, Nick Sweepah, ADRU THE MISPHIT, RhymeWise37
- Sankofa Tortoise Hustle (Obese America)
Compilation and Mixtape Appearances
2000 - "iCON the Mic King" - Blowout Verses Vs Beats (Turntable Anihilists)
2001 - "The End" - Day By Day Ent A Piece Of the Action (Day By Day Entertainment)
2001 - "Insight" - HHI-Recordings Fishin' In Troubled Waters (HHI Recordings)
2002 - "Madness" w/ MANiFEST the Mulinyan / "Epiphany" w/ Fallen Angelz
- Freshchest Prose Jabs & Cuts Vol 1 (Freshchest Records)
2002 - "Codename: Fuckyall" w/ PackFM, Tonedeff, Uncle T - Arrakis Presents: The Spice (Arrakis Records)
2002 - "Codename: Fuckyall" w/ PackFM, Tonedeff, Uncle T - DJ JS-1 Asterisk: QN5 Music Mix CD (QN5 Music)
2002 - "Greener Grass" - Boiling Point Distribution Boom Bap for Neanderthals (Boiling Point Dist)
2002 - "Disassimilation" w/ Anonymous INC - Offbeats Productions Offbeats Vol 1 (Vinyl Kingz Records/Offbeats Productions)
2002 - "Wildfire" - The Moth Chapter One: Evolution (Ill Production)
2003 - "Stomptheshitoutchu" w/ KWOTE Scriptures / "Just be Friends (dance remix)" w/ KWOTE Scriptures /
"Forgot About KWOTE/KWOTE What?" w/ KWOTE Scriptures / "SLUT WHORES ( HA...EARLY!) w/ KWOTE Scriptures,
Awar, and Poison Pen / KWOTE Scriptures: Solidified Ignorance Mixtape Vol 1 (The Lost Link)
2003 - "Stomp The Shit Out You" w/ KWOTE Scriptures unAuthordox presents: The Madstattic Mixtape (brainkave)
2003 - "Parallel" Various Artists: School Of Emceeing Vol. 1 (pH Music)
2003 - "Re:Jection" w/ DanJohns, KWOTE Scriptures - DanJohns Yesterday's Redemption (Magnum Opus)
2003 - "Feel" w/ David Ramos Plague Language: Farewell Archetypes (Subversiv*Rec.)
2004 - "Sub stan chew (interlude)" Substantial: Substantial Evidence (UV Ink)
2004 - "The Story Ends" w/ Godamus Rhyme - Bareskin Compilation (HipHopHotSpot.Com)
2004 - "Show & Prove" w/ Godamus Rhyme, Big Ox - Godamus Rhyme Cocky Bastard: the bootleg files (Rhyme Werks)
2004 - "iCON the Mic King freeverse" & "IndieInBurns" w/ C-Rayz Walz - The Walker The Walker Presents: What
2005 - "Lotus Seed" - Beyond Space presents A Guide to Burning Bridges (Beyond Space Ent)
2006 - "Substance Abuse" - Drum and Knowledge of Parallel Thought present MF DOOM Vomit (Centrifugal Phorce Records)
2007 - "Raw Rap" w/ Coldfront Bombatomik Presents Nuclear Holocaust (Bombatomik)
Photos
Bio
iCON the Mic King - Catalyst of a Renaissance
iCON the Mic King is not a movement. No one man is. Instead, he is the catalyst for a crusade much bigger than himself. A Renaissance is approaching. It’s a Renaissance linked to a culture that spans over a quarter century’s time. A generational art form, that rose to prominence in a well-documented creative surge in the late 80’s. A culture that achieved economic importance in the trend-minded upswing of hip hop’s popularity in the mid to late 90’s. A culture that turned inward as it subsequently collapsed upon itself, growing too big to support the rapidly swelling ecosystem. In a staggered genre that has arguably seen it’s glory days come and go, there has risen an enigmatic figure that will lead us into yet another age of artistic prosperity. Allow me to show you the many sides of the lyrical Rubik’s Cube that is iCON the Mic King.
On a balmy late August night Michael King took his first breaths in the maternity ward of the Pennsylvania Hospital. He would be the first grandson born to either side of his family. Declared the “the chosen one” by his great grandmother who, living to be 104 years old, proved to be as resilient as she was wise.
iCON’s status as one of the chosen would be tested in numerous ways as the years carried forward. Even death made an unexpected attempt. At the age of six, Michael King, having no concept of mortality, was involved in a life altering car accident that threatened to take him away from the world before he came to realize his purpose.
On a rain soaked night in Philadelphia Michael’s uncle made his way to the local hospital. Michael’s mother was pulling an 11-7 shift there. Ambling to a stop at a traffic signal Michael gazed out of his passenger side window. While he took in the sea of city lights that drenched 29th Street in a swirl of colors, his uncle twiddled the knob on the car radio. Settling on the easy R&B of WDAS, the wafting sound of synths and sultry voices is overtaken by the dissonance of screeching car tires. A large Cadillac slammed forcefully into the back of the Honda driven by Michael’s uncle. Inside the car, a split second passes before the impact, but it seems like ages. His automatic reaction was to try and brace himself. Clutching the armrests on either side he realizes that he isn’t wearing a seatbelt…
Michael went barreling through the windshield of the car. That kind of trauma should have killed a boy his size. But Michael wasn’t killed. In fact he walked away virtually unscathed. That night, something was made deadly clear. It was not his turn to go. There were bigger things in store for the boy who would become king.
In the streets of Philadelphia iCON the Mic King is more of an idea than an actual person. There are plenty of stories, all lending to an indelible mystique that makes him as intriguing as he is critically heralded, and perhaps even more misunderstood. iCON is no stranger to paying dues. His work ethic is evidenced by a recording catalogue stretching back to 1995, as well as an impressive international touring schedule yielding passport stamps on three continents in seventeen countries. Delivering powerful hypnotic and awe-inspiring performances with DJ Fishr Pryce at the helm, Mike King’s legend grows with each show-stealing concert date. His most recent projects: “Mike and the Fatman”(Uprising records), which saw him teamed up with Chum the Skrilla Guerrilla on production, with features by Killah Priest and Blue Raspberry, as well as “Rent Money Music 2: C-Notes for the Car Note” were to released to critical acclaim. Unfortunately the scope of those projects was hindered by a lack of resources. But with the proper push…
Upcoming projects and testaments to the Renaissance include “The Season of Our Discontent” produced by Blastah Beatz, and genre-bending electric/hip hop hybrid group Robots With Hearts with Ninja Tune Records’ black sheep, Animals on Wheels. Chum and iCON are also reuniting to release a new progressive set.
A dynamic and compelling emcee, iCON may better be placed with the likes of Dostoevsky, Philip K. Dick, and Franz Kafka than that of his rhyming peers. As one of the City of Brotherly Love’s Premier talents, iCON the Mic King is a man with a purpose. Laying the framework for a new generation of credible artists, using his love of creating timeless music to fuel his epic and visceral rhymes, and leading hip hop into its next golden age by example. Of course, that’s what any good king does.
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