Congratulations are In Order...

     Remember Mike Control? They were the underground rap group, whose CD, Mike Control, I felt was going to be the starting point for something big in the world of rap. Apparently, I was not the only one. Recently, Mike Control won Music Dish's Band Wars. And this is just the start of something big and I guarantee you that Mike Control was predestined for success.

     Today, a lot more people will begin to hear more about Mike Control thanks to the big win at Music-Dish.com, an honor they claim wouldn't be theirs without the fans. As part of the victory, Mike Control will receive eight weeks of regional promotion to 100 college radio stations, 100 retail stores, and 50 press outlets. In addition, they will receive one year of level one distribution through Electric Kingdom Distribution, 50% of cdstreet.com commerce system sales fees for balance of 2001, added promo support and opportunities, Design for Communication - CD Graphic Design - Two-side insert, tray card and disc - including scans, four ads in each of the MusicDish & Mi2N newsletters, 2,500 total banner impressions in MusicDish & Mi2N Value, The Buzz Factor - Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, plus 7 special reports. Win or lose, we at BANDWIDTH supported their every move and now our readers get the opportunity to learn what made Mike Control what it is today, thanks to the help of Jon Bro, who took time out for this interview. Mike Control is the subject of Fifteen Minutes with BANDWIDTH.

A Brief History of Mike Control

     Mike Control hails from Brooklyn, New York City, and consists of two rap geniuses, John and Maurice who met at James Madison High School back in 1988. During that time, rap groups like Run DMC and The Beastie Boys had blazed a trail for others to follow. John wanted to walk that trail and under the name John Bro, started a solo rap career that did not go where he wanted it to go. The year 1994 saw the start of a plan B as John got his old buddy, Maurice and another neighborhood friend Jeremy to form a rap group called Firm Grip. Popularity in the neighborhood did not translate to any success as egos got in the way and only one single was made. The band split apart and while John and Maurice remained friends, rap was the furthest thing from their minds.

     While, not a rapper, Maurice became Grey Ghost and distributed DJ mix tapes to friends. It was in this capacity that he found Mike "The Oscillator" and they began experimenting with sounds and loops and eventually came up the beats for Mics I Grab. Sensing the need for vocals to add to the track, Grey Ghost brought back Jon Bro, who only agreed to take part in the effort if Grey Ghost rapped with him, and Mike Control was born. Together the group came out with the their first independent single in the summer of 1999 and soon Mike Control was hitting clubs, selling CDs and making a big name for themselves.

Continued on the next page

Return to BANDWIDTH's Main Page