Born On a Cold Day

“Take an introspective look at my history. Moms was gone, Pops was in the penitentiary.” - The Letter

Michael Wayne Carter was born in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado. Father was in prison. Mother was addicted to crack. At the early age of six years old, Michael knew that living with his mother would only lead to bad things. He gathered his favorite toys and a few articles of clothing and filled two King Soopers bags. He strategically threw the bags from his bedroom window and casually went outside to play. He had escaped and no one even knew.  Never looking back, Michael new exactly where he was going.  Michael’s father, Michael Wayne Baxter, was incarnated in Texas and Mother, Theresa Carter, was in and out of rehabs.  The logical decision was to live with his grandmother, Ethel Carter, a hard-working southern lady. With help from his grandfather, Samuel Carter, Michael had a rich childhood. Michael would visit his grandfather on the weekends. He had a huge collection of records and an even bigger collection of electronics and technology. It was one of those weekends that Michael would meet future musical collaborator, Yonnas Abraham. Who was to know that these two young boys with bath towels safety-pinned around their necks, mock super hero capes, would later make music. Michael was exposed to things he had ever seen before. His grandparents helped cultivate a love for the arts. It was clear; Michael learned at a young age that music was his passion. It was a way for him to escape the madness. Michael wrote rhymes and dreamed of a better life. 

Welcome to the Other Side

“Lately the seasons have been deceiving, and reasoning with the reasons, brings an end to believing what you believe in.”

– Black Rose

Michael’s first cassette tape was Dr. Dre, The Chronic. He listened to it on his boom box, so much so, that the white letters wore off. He was hooked. It was with his best friend, Ross Williams, that he would recite Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg lyrics. It was also his best friend that coined his name, MC, prophetic in many ways. Michael spent many high school days, not attending class, rather being a juvenile delinquent with no way of properly cultivating talent. Michael’s first performance was at a high school keg party he threw with some friends. Phillip Domenge was the DJ. This is where he got he first taste of what it was like to harness his talent. After high school, Michael moved out of his grandmother’s house and moved to Downtown Denver. He worked various jobs while trying to pursue music. After various attempts, Michael brought it all together on a chance encounter with an old friend. On the way home, Michael bumped into Yonnas. As usual, Yonnas was full of energy, excited about a studio session he was on his way too. Michael mentioned to Yonnas that he wanted to come up with a new sound and had hundreds of ideas floating around in his head. After exchanging numbers, Michael’s official first album, Sincerely Yours, was now underway.  A journey that started in his grandfathers backyard, has come full circle with the release of Sincerely Yours. With tracks like I’m Home and Maria, featuring close friends and collaborators, Jennifer Macintosh and Ted Rinehart, MC showed that he honed in on a sound and an image that he had been trying to cultivate for so many years. That was just scratching the surface…