Mikkey Halsted is a young rapper from Chicago discovered by Kanye West in 2001 when the star was working with Miss Criss. She happens to be Halsted’s sister.
Halsted says, "I really wasn’t taking hip-hop seriously at that point. I was into trying to make it to the NBA — I was a ballplayer."
Kanye heard him freestyle and asked to see more. Halsted returned the very next day with three songs.
Kanye West introduced the young rapper to Cash Money Records who signed a contract with Halsted and his sister. Though he didn’t stay long with the label, he learned a lot from them.
He says, "I learned the independent game from them and I saw how they grinded. I took the Cash Money grind and applied it to my own situation and with my work ethic. I saw Wayne [work], and me and Wayne kind of came up together in a way."
The artist is now working with producer No ID on his first album, The Darkroom. No release date has been announced.