Mike Schpitz

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featuring on Donuts and Milk - Donuts and Milk

featuring on The Tape Deck - The Tape Deck

On Hear That First - Hear That First

Until today, I wasn’t familiar with the Chicago duo Grumpy Old Men. But after LONEgevitiy shot over the video to the project’s title track? I’m all ears. Production coming from LONEgevity, Slot-A, Maja 7th and more. Tracklist, stream and download link can be found after the jump. - 2Dopeboyz

I recently got the chance to chop with up midwest Hip Hop duo Grumpy Old Men which is comprised of familiar voice Mike Schpitz and Chi-Town's own Pete Sayke. We spoke about how they felt about performing at this year's A3C Hip Hop Festival in Atlanta, which they have already done and killed. They also talk about how they met, why they chose their name, their upcoming mixtape "Sunday Skool" and how they feel about all these music festivals in regards to Hip Hop. They even shared some of the highlights of what they were able to see. - The9Elements.com

Check out our exclusive interview with Chicago based MC duo, Grumpy Old Men. We recently sat down both members to discuss how the group was formed, Sunday Skool, the group's forthcoming debut, and their recent performance at the A3C Hip-Hop Festival in Atlanta. While the group itself is brand new, both MC's have been making music and performing for over 10 years. In a sea of swag, the self described purveyors of "regular guy rap," seem anything but regular right now.

One thing I've noticed about Pete and Mike is that they both maintain an extremely high level of repect for their craft: they take their pen game seriously and respect their elders. It's something you see when you meet them. It's something you hear when you listen to their music. These dudes are true students of the game and it shows in the quality of their product.

Make sure to look out for Sunday Skool when it drops some time next month. - ScheduleOneMag.com

Mike Schpitz and Pete Sayke recuit Dre Dai for the latest offering from their Sunday Skool project. Take ‘em to church y’all. - FakeShoreDrive.com

Last week, we had the introduction to Grumpy Old Men with “America” and today, Mike Schpitz & Pete Sayke hit us with a track that I think is even better: “One For The Road” featuring fellow Chicago spitta Neak. The soulful backdrop is provided by Wes P as all emcees do their thing, especially Neak who I thought set the bar with his verse. Once again though, this is an enjoyable, raw hip hop cut from beginning to end and I’m lookin’ forward to what these Grumpy Old Men continue to produce for their debut project, Sunday Skool. *Tibs Fav.™ status. - GoWhereHipHop

EA has teamed up with Livemixtapes.com and Maybach Music artist, DJ Scream to produce "The Battle" mixtape inspired by Battlefield 3 (Available October 25th). - HipHopDX

o celebrate the release of the video game "Battlefield 3," Maybach Music artist DJ Scream teamed up with EA Sports to drop The Battle. The 10-track mixtape features previously released music from some of today's hottest underground artists including Yelawolf, The Kickdrums, Trae Tha Truth, Freddie Gibbs and more. Consider this the unofficial soundtrack to the game, which drops October 25. - Complex.com

EA has teamed up with Livemixtapes.com and Maybach Music artist, DJ Scream to produce “The Battle” mixtape inspired by Battlefield 3 (Available on October 25th).

With hot tracks featuring Hip-Hop’s biggest names including Pill, Yelawolf, and Freddie Gibbs “The Battle” is the perfect soundtrack for the third installment of the legendary series.

Pre-order Battlefield 3 here.

Tracklist and download link below.

01. Slim Dunkin – Intro (0:22)
02. Slim Dunkin Feat. Da Kid & Lil Cap – Man Down (3:34)
03. Pill – Grab Them Choppers (3:38)
04. KD – Crown Me (3:41)
05. Cyhi The Prynce Feat. Yelawolf – Bulletproof (5:05)
06. Roccett – Flatline (3:06)
07. Trae The Truth Feat. Pyrexx – Strapped Up (3:36)
08. Hot As Sun Feat. Freddie Gibbs – Come Come (Remix) [Prod. By The Kickdrums] (3:26)
09. The Kickdrums Feat. GLC – Colors (3:48)
10. Mike Schpitz – The Wake (4:21) - NahRight

Made up of Booth fave Mike Schpitz and newcomer Pete Sayke, Grumpy Old Men have stepped into the Booth to make their collaborative Booth debut with America, the inaugural leak off their forthcoming street album. Making its world premiere in the Booth, the soulful, Ta-Ku-produced cut follows two youths—one white, the other black—as their respective life circumstances lead them to a tragic confrontation. For more fresh beats and thought-provoking rhymes, check out the Grumpy Old Men’s Sunday Skool mixtape when it hits the ‘net next month. - DJBooth.net

Mike Jones, better known as Mike Schpitz, was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. The rapper first started doing music back at the University of Kansas with local crews The Full House and the Only Ones before moving to Chicago. Schpitz has dropped four official releases since 2009, including Sunday Drive, Love Potion Number 9th, Mike Murder, and most recently Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy through Block Starz Music. In this exclusive interview with Yo! Raps, the artist formerly known as LoveJones gives us the 411.

You are from Topeka, Kansas, not a known place for Hip-Hop talent yet. Describe the Hip-Hop scene where you are from.



In Topeka, there isn’t much of a Hip-Hop scene. Of course, there are people doing music but venues and whatnot, don’t really like doing Hip-Hop shows. Kansas is pretty conservative in general, so maybe that has something to do with it. The bigger scenes are in Kansas City and Lawrence. It seems like the artists are more diverse and seem to do things on a larger scale in those cities. I still get to perform a lot of different places in Topeka because people know what I have done in the past. Bottom line: It’s about bringing people through the door, making the bar or venue money and having no problems are as far violence or any crazy shit. - YoRaps.com

Below is a link to download DJBooth.net's just-released "Rhymes and Rhythm for Relief" charity project. The response from the artists we work closely with has been incredible (we received over 100 submissions) and as a result we have over 25 original and unreleased records that have been donated to the album. The project is available for sale (with a suggested donation of 5 dollars) with 100% of all proceeds going to several charities that are supporting the relief effort in Haiti. - Coal Mine Music

Last week, Papi Jamon and Mike Schpitz performed "Run It Back" (featured on the "Hotter Than July" Mixtape... hint, hint) at the iStandardproducers.com (one of the mixtape sponsors) Chicago Beat Battle. You didn't hear it from us, but there might be a video dropping for that soon. - WBC Magazine

Another dope clip brought to you by Brandon “N2ition” Riley.

You’re gonna want to run it back a few times. - FakeShoreDrive.com

efinedHype favorite and the greatest rapper to ever come out of Topeka, Mike Schpitz, is readying to drop a new mixtape, "The Prize Package" via the mothership, yours truly and the good folks at YNotMyDream, and because the project's got such a unique story I invited the man himself to break it down. If only more rappers made homage to delicious burgers the world would be a better place.

Harold's Prize Package: The Inspiration


"The Prize Package Volume 1" is inspired by the legendary burger dive, Harold's Prize Package in Topeka, KS. Not only can you get a tasty double cheeseburger, onion rings, fried okra and a Welches Strawberry, you can get Swisher Sweets, Lottery Tickets, bootleg movies and perhaps some oil for your car. Although it's only open on weekdays, that greasy brown paper bag is one of the best lunch time meals you can find in Topeka. It's unassuming white building only adds to its legend causing many passers by to not even notice it at all. Lunchtime is absolutely insane so, it is highly recommended that people call ahead unless the phones are too busy. Then, you just have to wait a while. - RefinedHype.com

As he gears up for the release of his upcoming "Mike Murder" album, RefinedHype regular, "Love Potion Number 9th" creator and Topeka, Kansas native Mike Schpitz takes a moment to join our My City series and talk about small-city bias, the wonders of Taco's El Sol and why if you see him coming with some water balloons, you should probably start running.

RefinedHype: You hail from the rarely hailed city of Topeka, Kansas. Do you feel like some people have a bias towards your work when they find out where you're from?

Mike Schpitz:. I'm not sure how people feel about me and my music AFTER they actually hear the music and then find out I'm from Topeka but I think it's safe to assume that not many people are checking for emcees to come out of Topeka, Kansas or any similar town across the country. If they see me and then see where I'm from before hearing the music, I definitely think people automatically write me off. I can't lie because I would do the same thing. I think once people hear the music it's a little harder to have that bias. More so than where I'm from, I am finding out that people judge me based on what I look like which for me, is kind of funny because no one expects anything. People are always taken back especially when I hit the stage.

RefinedHype: How do you think your music and career would be different if you lived in a more "major" city like L.A., New York, Atlanta etc.?

Mike Schpitz:. It's hard to say what I would be doing musically if I was from a more major city. I probably wouldn't even be doing music. I think it's probably harder to get respect in bigger cities because you have so many talented people in those cities. In Kansas, there are definitely some talented people but the numbers are way smaller. My influences are drawn from all over too. I think if I was in a bigger city, I am gravitate towards music and sounds from that city or region. It definitely allowed me to be more open to hip hop from all over. Being in Chicago now has helped me really step my game up and go full force. There are so many different artists out here that I have to be able to stand out or I will get lost easily in the crowd. I have taken a lot of aspects of both my hometown, Topeka, Kansas and Chicago and used them in my music.
- RefinedHype.com

Mike Schpitz and Adullessence perform live at The Celtic Fox - Wheat City Magazine

I’ll start by saying that I absolutely love the artwork for this album. It’s definitely evokes feelings of a Sunday Drive.
Here LoveJones & Phys Ed pair up for their official debut, Sunday Drive.
Download a FREE copy of the album now, and hit the jump for album details as well as tracklisting. Church.
LoveJones & Phys Ed – Sunday Drive - FakeShoreDrive.com

Midwest rap sensation Mike Schpitz has released the official artwork and tracklisting for his Block Starz Music debut, Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy, which hits major online retailers August 3.

The ambitious EP release, which features 10 original compositions and a hidden bonus track, comes on the heels of Mike Schpitz' breakout mixtape release, Mike Murder, which left fans and industry insiders wondering what else the innovative lyricist from Topeka, Kansas had up his sleeve.

Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy was inspired by Jim Carrey's character from the 1994 box office smash The Mask and takes listeners on a cinematic ride through everyday life as viewed from the offbeat perspective of Mike Schpitz. The song, Year Of The Nice Guy, premiered on Block Starz Music's explosive Midwest Block Starz compilation (now available on Amazon and iTunes) and immediately caught the attention of both critics and peers, who praised Mike's razor sharp delivery and wordplay.

Sonically, the majority of the production work on Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy is handled by up and coming Chicago beat maker, Rob Bates, who produced the EP's title track (Year Of The Nice Guy), We On Fire, Right Of Way, Three Headed Monster and the bonus cut Tryouts. Bates is joined by hit makers QB Da Problem and Nascent (50 Cent, Slim Thug, Cory Gunz), who crafted Raw Shit and Your Highness, and newcomer I’m Trumaine, who produced Gimme That.

Check out the full tracklisting and artwork for Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy below and stay up on all the breaking news and events from Mike Schpitz this summer at www.mikeschpitz.com.

For more information on this and other Block Starz Music releases, visit www.blockstarzmusic.com. - YoRaps.com

I think we’ve posted several tracks from Maja & FSD’s The Breakout, including standouts from personal favorites from Mikkey & Freddie, Pill and Mic Terror. But previous to, I don’t ever remember hearing/reading words from the man behind the boards. Since we’ve reached our destination and final product is available, it’s only fitting that one of the brains behind it all share his thought process on how it came to be.
“Andrew and I stated working on this album around the 4th quarter of last year. I told him I had some beats I wasn’t using and I wanted to put out an album with predominantly Chicago artists. I had done some work with Killah Priest and some Wu-Affiliates and had been traveling around doing beat battles but I wanted to do something big for the city of Chicago. So we started making phone calls and people showed love. This album is about unity and showing these artists’ talents. It was my job to fuse those talents into a cohesive album. The goal wasn’t to make singles or club records. I just made music that felt right to me. – Maja 7th (Major)” - The Smoking Section

The 808 Experiment is an annual compilation produced and released by SMKA. In just three years the series has become a popular, and anticipated, project in the hip-hop community. The strength of the series rests on the range of the artists, as well as the quality and variety of the music. Each year SMKA attempts to work with a new collection of artists who have consistently produced quality music. The 808 Experiment: Vol 3 is the continued evolution of the series, and more than ever showcases a cross section of hip-hop music. The free compilation features nearly 40 different artists, and truly demonstrates the range and talent of producer 808 Blake of SMKA.

In the past 2 years The 808 Experiment series has featured over 50 artists, including: Yelawolf, Pill, Tanya Morgan, Nappy Roots, Shawn Chrystopher, Playboy Tre, Outasight, Stanza, Joe Scudda, Kyle Lucas, El Da Sensei, Fat Tony, Supreeme, Fresh Daily, Tom P, Hollyweerd, The Canz, Senor Kaos and many others. The project has also been featured in many of the top hip-hop blogs, sites and publications from around the US, and abroad. - SMKA

Back at the beginning of 2009, Mike Schpitz first got in contact with us here at FH, and sent an early version of this very project for us to review. Since then, with his first highly successful project, Sunday Drive in the bag, it’s finally time to re-release the project which helped set things off in a major way. In almost one year, Mike Schpitz has been featured on DJ Booth.net freestyles, and numerous other quality blogs, such as Redefined Hype, and of course our latest project, Money Isn’t Real.

Featuring appearances from The Only Ones Crew members, Adullessence, Large Marge and Stik Figa, Love Potion No 9th: The Hangover features production borrowed from 9th Wonder. Chronologically, the A side contains 8 tracks from 2007, and the B side contains 8 more tracks from early 2009.

Credits to David Hildreth for the artwork, and Heath O’Campo on the graphic design tip.

Presented by: by FlawlessHustle.com, RefinedHype.com and Chicago Sneaker Boutique AKIN.
As always Mike wants to give a shout out to Topeka, Kansas aka Paradise City aka Top City for your continued support!

Hit the jump for tracklisting & download links. - FlawlessHustle.com

Presented by DJBooth, RefinedHype & YNotMyDream.
21 brand new joints featuring appearances and production from Pete Sayke, Slot-A, Papi Jamon, THX & Ill Legit? Yes, please.
Mike Schpitz – The Prize Package, Vol. 1 - FakeShoreDrive.com

Our boy, and rising rapper Mike Schpitz just dropped a brand new mixtape, where he murders sh**. Thus, titling it Mike Murder.

Over the past few weeks, Mike has been leaking track-after-track from the upcoming tape, and now, it's finally here.

"What up world????? It's me, I'm back again. Mike Schpitz on that Mike Murder sh**," the rapper exclaims on the mixtape's intro track "Mike Is Like."

Last week, we gave Mike a chance to explain his motivation behind Mike Murder. He told us that, in recent year, the emphasis on lyrics in hip-hop has faded, so he wanted to bring it back ... by creating a project focused strictly on rhyming. No hooks, all rhymes ... and of course, to show off his skills. We think he accomplished his mission with flying colors.

"I took ten familiar, 'industry' beats and rapped anywhere from 65-110 bars ... non-stop. My focus on this project was simply to show people that I rap good," Schpitz told us. "Sorry for the grammar error, but that is the best way I know how to put the project into a simple description. It's easy to run out of subject matter when you write thousands of verses and hundreds of songs, so with Mike Murder, I tried to be as clever as possible with the wordplay and patterns.

"I'll save the rest of the 'back-patting' and let the music speak for itself," he added.

Aside from us co-signing it, other dope sites also jumped aboard, including DJBooth.net, YNotMyDream.net, RefinedHype.com and PMG Media.

No more keeping you waiting. Download Mike Murder right here, via DJBooth.net.

And, also make sure to visit Mike's official website at MikeSchpitz.com.
- Ballerstatus.com

Midwestern up-and-comer Mike Schpitz has teamed up with DJBooth.net, BallerStatus.com, YnotMyDream.net, RefinedHype.com and PMG Media to bring listeners his third street release, Mike Murder.

The 10-track project finds the rising rap star flexing his lyrical muscles over industry instrumentals by such heavyweight producers as DJ Premier, Dr Dre, RZA and Timbaland (to name just a few).

Included on Mike Murder are “Death to My InnerMe’s,” Schpitz’ Booth-premiered, highly-acclaimed freestyle over 50 Cent‘s “Death to My Enemies” and “Mike Is Like,” a flipped version of East Coast legend Nas’ “Nas Is Like.” - DJBooth.com

Kansan up-and-comer Mike Schpitz has joined forces with DJBooth.net, RefinedHype.com and YNotMyDream.com to bring listeners his latest street album, The Prize Package Vol. 1. The project features 21 brand new cuts from the freestyle series alumnus, including reader-acclaimed leaks “Going for Broke,” “Do It Right” and “Gettin’ It.” Joining Schpitz on the guest tip are such collaborators as Pete Sayke, Papi Jamon, Adullessence and Ill Legit. Production comes courtesy of THX, Slot-A, LONEgevity, Maja 7th, Lord Quest and many more!
- TheSource.com

Spring Cleaning is Mike Schpitz latest project, a 19 song compilation of his favorite best songs and one on which Mike and the FrostClick Team have been working together for the past month to bring to you today.

We hope you enjoy it and share it with all your friends, this is truly good hip-hop and we feel very proud to be the ones to to have the opportunity to share with you this exclusive release from Mike Schpitz (aka LoveJones).

In this opportunity we are lucky enough to have a letter from Mike himself to let you know more in detail the background and behind the scenes of Spring Cleaning.


A Letter from Mike Schpitz to all Listeners

I know when albums or mixtapes are released, people often like to hear the backstory or see behind the scenes footage or hear about the “making of” so, I wanted to let people hear a little bit more about Spring Cleaning straight from the horse’s mouth. I have been talking with Frostwire/Frostclick since the release of Sunday Drive in 2009, about doing another project. They approached me about doing a project that would sort of catch people up to speed. Basically a “what has Mike Schpitz aka LoveJones been up too since Sunday Drive.” I had the idea of calling the project, Spring Cleaning so people could see where I’ve been, what I’ve done, hear the progression and change and get ready for the new music that I’ve got coming out. So, I took some of my favorite songs from each of my previous projects and a few songs from two of my new projects and created a “history of” Mike Schpitz.


Sunday Drive was released on Frostwire/Frostclick back in 2009. Since, I have released four additional projects that include Love Potion Number 9th: The Hangover, Mike Murder, Stanley Ipkiss: Year of the Nice Guy and The Prize Package Volume 1. I am also working on three other albums that are pretty much done, that include Sunday Skool with Pete Sayke, Have You Seen My Stapler? with SLOT-A and Paid Time Off with Phys Edison. Spring Cleaning features songs from each of these projects except Paid Time Off(It’s Top Secret). For those who may be new to Mike Schpitz, Spring Cleaning will be a great introduction to what I’m all about. It gives a wide range of sounds and content but still encompasses me as an artist. You can definitely hear the change and progression from Love Potion to Mike Murder to Have You Seen My Stapler? Hopefully people will get a brief taste of what each project sounds like then can journey back to those projects and listen to them in their entirety.

Spring Cleaning features a number of artists and producers that I have worked with throughout the last several years. Some songs are mixtape records where I “borrowed” the beat, other songs are originals where I got the chance to sit down with various producers and artists and craft something brand new. First off, 9th Wonder’s name is seen on Spring Cleaning a few times. Those records are from my project, Love Potion Number 9th: The Hangover, which features all beats taken from 9th Wonder. I’m not sure if 9th has heard the project or aware that it even exists but as one of my favorite producers, Love Potion is my tribute to 9th.


Next up is Mike Murder, which is another mixtape that features beats borrowed from various producers. Mike Murder is basically just my chance to show my lyrical abilities. No hooks, no concepts, just bars. I just wanted to show people another side of Mike Schpitz aside from the Sunday Drive and Love Potion records. On Mike Murder I use production from DJ Premier, Rza, Timbaland, The Neptunes and Dr. Dre. It gives people a chance to hear a lot of lyrics, patterns, punchlines, etc.

I followed up Mike Murder with an EP called Stanley Ipkiss: Year of the Nice Guy. Stanley Ipkiss was released exclusively on iTunes and Amazon for purchase. On this project, I linked up with Block Starz Music for the release. This was the first time that I placed a project in someone else’s hands and let them work it. I have three different producers on Stanley Ipkiss, Rob Bates, who did five records, QB and Nascent, who did three and I’m Trumaine, who did one. These three producers are some of the freshest in Chicago and have all been making a name for themselves. Rob Bates was a finalist in Red

Bull’s Big Tune beat battle which aired on BET a few years back. Rob has a lot of respect from industry producers and has worked with a lot of Chicago’s best artists. QB and Nascent, who are a production team, have worked with a lot of industry heavyweights, the biggest being 50 Cent. They produced two records for 50 cent including Strong Enough, which was featured on his album, Before I Self Destruct. They have also worked with Lloyd Banks, Joe Budden and LEP Bogus Boys. These two guys are really making a name for themselves and graciously lent their sound to Stanley Ipkiss. The last producer, I’m Trumaine is a young, hungry guy from Chicago who has been doing beat battles and producing for a lot of different a - Frostclick.com