Throughout Showbiz!, how mikelikesrap says things is just as important as what he’s saying. Many of the epiphanies the mid-20s MC relates after his first mega tour have been had by other, more seasoned artists before him. Somehow, though, nothing here comes off as trite; it’s simply not in MIKE’s nature to speak in cliches, even when the larger ideas he’s presenting aren’t entirely original. “That sour taste, bitter, how I mourn best / I’m down to take a trip, but I’m a tour vet,” he raps on “Bear Trap.” On “Belly 1”: “22, how was death my concern? / How I move with my bread? How I earned it?”⁠ ⁠ These lines are about steeling oneself, playing through the pain, but there’s no feigned bravado to be found. “Through the mid-life blues, I just wish high,” he begins on “You’re the only one watching.” “Every midnight, moody under dim light / Try on big MIKE shoes, they don’t fit right.” On the surface it sounds like a flex, but it’s actually a resigned invitation, delivered as plainly as it ...