Mike Will Made It facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Will Made It
Mike Will Made It in 2020
Background information
Birth name	Michael Len Williams II
Also known as	Mike Will Made-It
Born	(1989-03-23) March 23, 1989 (age 36) Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop R&B pop trap
Occupation(s)	Record producer rapper songwriter
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Atlantic EarDrummers Interscope

Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known as Mike Will Made It, is an American music producer. He is famous for creating "trap" beats for many hip hop and pop artists. He has produced hit songs like "Black Beatles" for Rae Sremmurd, "Mercy" for Kanye West, and "Humble" for Kendrick Lamar.

Mike Will also started his own record label, EarDrummer Records, in 2013. Through his label, he has signed artists like the hip hop group Rae Sremmurd. He also makes his own music. His first song as a lead artist was "23" in 2013. It featured Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, and Juicy J.

Early Life and Music Start

Michael Williams II was born in Marietta, Georgia. He is the youngest of three children. His dad, Michael Williams Sr., was a DJ in the 1970s. His mom, Shirley Williams, sang in a gospel group. Mike Will grew up in a family that loved music. His uncle played the guitar, and one of his sisters was a drum major.

When he was younger, Mike Will enjoyed sports like basketball, baseball, and football. He dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. But he also loved hip hop music. He started learning music by playing popular songs he heard on the radio. He would then make his own versions of the music for his friends to rap over.

At age 14, Mike Will began making his own beats. His dad bought him a Korg ES1 beat machine for Christmas. As he got better, he used more advanced equipment. By the time he was 16, he was visiting recording studios in Atlanta. He wanted to share his beats with famous artists. At first, no one paid attention. But then, one of his music tapes reached Gucci Mane. Gucci Mane invited Mike Will to a recording studio.

After high school, Mike Will went to Georgia State University. But he decided to take a break to focus on music. He eventually left college when one of his songs, "Tupac Back", became popular. He has since told young producers to stay in college if they don't have a clear plan for their music career.

Music Career Highlights

Mike Will's first major artist to rap on his beat was Gucci Mane. They started releasing songs together. After working with Gucci Mane, Mike Will began working with other big Atlanta rappers. These included Future, Waka Flocka Flame, and 2 Chainz.

Early Production Work (2011–2012)

In 2011, Mike Will released his first song, "Tupac Back". It was performed by Meek Mill and Rick Ross. This song became popular on the Billboard charts.

He also worked a lot with rapper Future. They made several popular songs together. These included "Ain't No Way Around It" and "Turn On the Lights". "Turn On the Lights" became a big hit.

In December 2011, Mike Will released his first mixtape, Est. in 1989 (Last of a Dying Breed). A mixtape is a collection of songs, often released for free. This mixtape featured many famous artists like Gucci Mane, Future, and Lil Wayne. He released two more mixtapes in this series in 2012.

Mike Will also worked closely with 2 Chainz. He produced "No Lie", a lead song from 2 Chainz's first album. This song, featuring Drake, was a huge success. It sold over 500,000 copies.

In 2012, Mike Will produced "Bandz a Make Her Dance" for rapper Juicy J. This song was named one of the best songs of Summer 2012 by Complex magazine. He also helped produce "Mercy" for Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music group. This song reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Albums and Collaborations (2013–Present)

Mike Will Made It in January 2017

Mike Will was the main producer for Miley Cyrus's album Bangerz (2013). He produced eight songs on the album, including the hit "We Can't Stop".

In September 2013, Mike Will released his first official single, "23". It featured Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, and Miley Cyrus. He also signed a deal with Interscope Records to release his own album.

He was named "Producer of the Year" by HipHopDX in December 2013.

In 2014, he released "Buy the World", featuring Future, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar. He also released his fifth mixtape, Ransom.

On March 24, 2017, he released his album Ransom 2. It featured many big names like Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Migos.

In 2018, Mike Will produced most of the songs for the soundtrack of the movie Creed II. This album was called Creed II: The Album.

More recently, in 2020, Mike Will released "Bang Bang" with rapper Chief Keef. He also released "What That Speed Bout!?" with Nicki Minaj and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. In 2023, he worked with ESPN to create music for the 2023-24 NBA season. He released a new song called "Different Breed" featuring Latto and Swae Lee for ESPN.

Musical Inspirations

Mike Will has shared who inspired his music. He admires Dr. Dre's drum sounds and calls Timbaland a "crazy pop producer" who brought many artists into the music world. As a producer from the South, he looked up to Shawty Redd. He says Shawty Redd was the first to bring a "dark trap energy" sound. He also sees DJ Toomp as a mentor and respects Pharrell.

Production Tools

Mike Will uses different tools to make his beats. Some of his equipment includes the Korg Triton, Akai MPC 1000, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Yamaha Motif, and the Roland Fantom-X.

Ear Drummer Records

In 2006, Mike Will started his own production company called EarDrummers Entertainment. In 2013, he officially founded Ear Drummer Records. He signed a deal with Interscope Records for his label. In 2014, Mike Will signed the hip hop group Rae Sremmurd (whose name is "Ear Drummers" spelled backward) and Two-9 to his label.

Artists on Ear Drummer Records

• Mike Will Made It
• Shotta Spence
• Two-9
• Rae Sremmurd
• Swae Lee
• Slim Jxmmi
• Eearz
• Andréa
• Trouble (formerly)
• Rico Pressley

In-House Producers

These are producers who work directly with Ear Drummer Records:

• 30 Roc
• Blue Cheeze
• DJ Fu
• Ducko McFli
• GT
• J-Bo
• Marz
• Mike Will Made It
• Pluss
• P-Nazty
• Randy Lanphear
• Resource
• Scooly
• Shawn Ferrari
• Whatlilshoddysay
• F1Jo
• Todd Gleeful

Music Releases

Studio Albums

Soundtrack Albums

Mixtapes

Singles

Promotional Singles

Awards and Nominations

BET Hip Hop Awards

The BET Hip Hop Awards celebrate the best in hip hop music.

Grammy Awards

iHeartRadio Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Mike Will Made It para niños