[Outside Connect] Mic Terror: The Treated Life

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Article by Charne Graham

It was 1992, when Kris Kross released the single “Jump” and it was around the exact same time that seven-year-old Mic Terror decided that he wanted to rap. Nearly 20 years later, Mic, a Riverdale, IL native, has been making waves on the Chicago hip-hop scene.

He had a hit song in 2009, “Juke Them Hoes,” that got him a co-sign from international singer M.I.A.  “My good friend Million Dollar Mano was DJing at a party that MIA was attending and when she heard ‘Juke Them Hoes’ she wanted to know more about me and she’s been the homie since then.”  Says Mic Terror. Although knowing people in high places is a plus, Mic wants aspiring artists to know that nothing comes as easy as it seems. “I want to advise new artists to go extremely hard and keep in mind that there is no such thing as luck when it comes to music,” explains Mic. The latest project from Mic Terror is “Riverdale The Musical,” a mixtape released last December with hilarious skits and hypnotic tunes like “Chief Sampson”

The rap music scene in Chicago is quite diverse. There are gangster rappers and people that just want you to dance when you listen to them. “There are a lot of haters everywhere but sometimes I feel like an artist like myself is the glue holding together the mixture of different styles Chicago rappers have,” says Mic. As a founding member of Chicago-based The Treated Crew, Mic believes that great talent needs to unite on all aspects. “The Treated Crew is a movement that was founded by my two good friends from high school Million Dollar Mano and Hollywood Holt.”

“Treated Crew is a movement, a cult and most importantly a way of life,” continues Mic.  The Treated Crew will release an album and a new single every Tuesday with their Treated Tuesday’s series. Mic Terror said artists like Ice Cube and Rick James influenced him. He also plans to collab with artists like Devin the Dude and Andre 3000 in the future.

Some songs by Chicago artists that have inspired Mic’s career include classics like Twista’s “Adrenaline Rush,” Common’s “The Bitch in You,” Mikkey Halsted’s “Liquor Store” and his own “Juke them Hoes”. Mic also mentions Kanye West’s “SpaceShip” as an inspiration and adds, “I said fuck having a job shortly after this song came out, I always played it on repeat driving to and from work.”  When it comes to maturing with his music, Mic feels that it is a necessity.  “I have grown since I started rapping seriously a few years back and growth is the best thing you can have when it comes to making successful music,” says Mic.

Follow Mic Terror on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/#!/micdaterrible