Myke Towers

The rapper’s love of music started at a young age from the culture of the place he grew up in, Puerto Rico, and from the people closest to him, his family. “My grandmother and entire family would play music every day in the house and I’d be constantly surrounded by it,” he says. “Whether it was salsa, merengue, bachata or reggaeton, music was always around and in the neighbourhood. When I was in high school, I started to freestyle and go to the studio with friends who were producers - at the time I would upload all of my music to SoundCloud. As word got out, people started to recognise me and wanted me to release more music and so I did.”

Myke also wants people to know how much his music means to him and how important it is for him to be able to share his art. “Music is my escape, sort of like therapy and helps me narrate life experiences. I’ve always been drawn to it and I also like to study the game.”

Like a lot of artists, Myke wants to honour the place he comes from through his music and wants to share the impact it has had on him. The singer isn’t afraid to share his many inspirations and how they helped him with the sound he wanted to share. “Puerto Rico is the birthplace of reggaeton and artists like Tego Calderon, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar made the island relevant and placed it on the map. They gave it the importance it deserves when contributing to the overall music industry. I also listened to a lot of hip-hop growing up, drawing inspiration mainly from Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z.” With artists that have inspired him and his journey, Myke also dreams of collaborating with some of these artists. “I would love to collaborate with Romeo Santos, Burna Boy or Jay-Z. I think something really amazing could come out of these!”

Through talking about his dream collaborations, Myke opened up about working with rap sensation Bad Bunny and how working together was meant to be. “When the producers sent the beat I immediately knew it had to have Bad Bunny on it. It feels like a very global song and Benito and I each wrote our own parts, but when we put them together we created a hit."

One thing everyone should stay aware of is the message found on La Pantera Negra.

The black panther, known for its rebirth and for embracing change, is a big symbol in the rapper’s new album. He wanted to let his fans know why it was important to him to have the animal represent his work. “The black panther stems from an urban legend in Puerto Rico. Back in the day, rich people used to have black panthers as pets. In my neighbourhood of Caimito, allegedly a black panther escaped once and it even came out on the news that people were chasing it and trying to capture it. On one of my first freestyles I called myself ‘la pantera negra de Caimito’ – identifying myself as the black panther who escaped Caimito. It speaks to the culture of my home and island, and the essence of my artistry.”

With so much happening for him this year so far, the singer-songwriter still has some things he would like to tick off his bucket list. “Take a few days off and completely go off the grid. Travel to some exotic location like Japan or maybe go on a cruise for a few days,” he says, emphasising the importance of taking breaks after travelling and working for a long time.

As someone who is also really into sports, Towers loves to catch a game whenever he has time and loves to share the different sports he enjoys. “My favourite sports to watch are basketball and baseball. I myself like to play both sports and I also like to box,” he says. “Those 3 sports are the most popular ones on the island. However, in Quintana, where I’m from in Puerto Rico, soccer has a huge following. So lately, I’ve also been getting into soccer.”

Lastly, Towers isn’t one to keep secrets and will always love sharing advice with his fans and younger creatives that might be looking up to him.

“Always keep your head down and do not get distracted by stupid things. Keep working hard and put in the hours required, not just in the studio, but also in the gym, educating yourself, reading, listening to current music trends, etc. It’s just another day at the office!”