(Producer, Songwriter, Musician, Arranger, DJ, Executive Producer)
Born Michael Flowers but professionally known as “Mike City” this musician / songwriter / arranger is the definitive difference between a producer and a beat maker. Ushering in a generational sound of music introduced through the likes of Carl Thomas, Jimmy Cozier and Sunshine Anderson immediately elevated “City” to the upper echelon of music makers, and his extensive catalog has been growing ever since. Currently setting the stage for lightening to strike twice, Mike City’s new wave of R&B dance music is a feel good movement rooted in traditional R&B infused with dance.
A Philly native, his gift of music was passed down through a long line of talented singers including his mother and grandmother, and his father who sang with the Highway QC’s; he also had a brother who played with the legendary gospel group, “The Mighty Clouds of Joy”. Growing up in Philly and Jersey at a time when Hip-Hop and House music were just jumping off, “City” as he is called, absorbed the cultures and has always had a penchant for dance music. The one time barber attended North Carolina Central University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration on music voice, and set out for a career as an artist. In the early 90’s he began singing as a part of a group known as Choyce, but it was the blind faith and initiative of sending in a demo of his work to an A&R that garnered his first solo deal with Intersound Records.
An early believer in his innate musical ability and star power was then Uptown records head Heavy D. “Before even hearing any of my music, Heavy D told me I was going to be a star,” recalls the seasoned producer. However, it wasn’t until coming to the attention of Sean “P- Diddy” Combs that things began to change for him. “When my childhood friend Tuffy, who was in the group Channel Live, took me to “Daddy’s House”, Diddy had already had his stable full with his Hitmen (producers) so when he walked in and Puff didn’t know who I was he kicked me out in a roundabout way.” he laughingly remembers. As fate would have it, a week later when Diddy listened to the track for “I Wish” he was immediately hooked and a week later, Mike City was in the biggest recording studio at The Hit Factory, and the buzz was ignited.
Mike City’s music created a new feeling in R&B music and crafting signature sounds for new talent under the helm of Bad Boy’s roster catapulted the producer virtually overnight. Engrossed in emotion when he writes a song, his ability for instrumentation is like a harmonious love affair between the music and the lyrics allowing the right talent to breathe their own voice into the life of the music making it timeless, and relevant. Whether it’s Pop, Gospel, Hip-Hop, Soulful House or R&B it’s all about the emotion behind the music for the transformative music maker who has created feel good hits for artists including: Babyface, El Debarge, Faith Evans, Usher, Dave Hollister, Gerald Levert, Brandy, Rihanna, Lalah Hathaway, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Nappy Roots, Kelly Price, Jamie Foxx and more.