Throughout the early twentieth century, London and New York were the focal points for poetry and photography. For example, Walter Learned’s poem “In London Town” observes the streets and bustling city of London from a romanticized perspective, while drawing parallels to the transient streets of New York.
Another example lies in the photography of Alvin Coburn, who often captured his subjects from a bird’s-eye perspective, simultaneously capturing the beautiful similarities in architecture. However, as time progresses, so does art.
Born Michael “MIKE” Jordan Bonema on Oct. 18, 1998, in Livingston, New Jersey, Bonema would spend little time in Livingston, eventually moving to England at the age of five. During his five years in England, he would experience the cities of Essex and Hackney, eventually discovering the UK/London “Grime culture.” Pioneered by Dylan “Dizzee Rascal” Mills, Maxwell “Lethal Bizzle” Ansah, along with many more. Grime Culture was a rebellious melting pot of genres such as hip-hop, jungle, dancehall, UK garage and electronic. Due to the genre’s origins, songs were commonly characterized by their fast pace.
Normally, songs are standardized at 120 Beats Per Minute (BPM) with a 4/4 time signature; however, grime would increase that standard by 20 BPM, making its time signature move fluidly between 4/4, 2/2 and 3/4. Popularized in the early 2000’s, with a style meant to highlight youth culture. Furthermore, Grime culture extended beyond music, unsurprisingly following the pipeline into fashion, with fans often sporting uniforms consisting of Nike Air Max shoes, puffers and tracksuits. Bonema would catch onto this genre at a young age and would set the foundation for Bonema’s earliest works.
In an interview with Bandcamp, Bonema states, “I used to listen to Skepta a lot when he was first coming out, Chipmunk, and a group called N-Dubz.” However, this appreciation for UK culture wouldn’t be without negative impacts. “It was weird being stripped away from American culture and being pushed into British culture,” Bonema says.
Bonema continuously moved around a lot with his family. Coming back to America to live with his father in Northwest Philadelphia, Bonema would live there for four years. It was during this time he’d create a fusion between his two primary influences, grime culture and the many braggadocious Philadelphian rappers who were popular at the time such as Nasir “Gillie Da Kid” Fard, Christopher Francis “Young Chris” Reis and an upcoming Robert Rihmeek “Meek Mill” Williams, to eventually write his first rhyme over the famous Daniel “MF DOOM” Dumile and Otis “Madlib” Jackson Jr. song “All Caps”, off of their legendary album “Madvillany” released on March 23, 2004.
“Those were the early stages of me learning how to express myself, so I was very angry. I didn’t have that many ways to express myself, so it was an angry topic, and rap about some street [stuff].” says Bonema.
In an interview with Our Generation Music, commonly known as OGM, Bonema even cites “Madvillany” as a highly essential album for his taste. Finally, he settled back in New York at the age of 16, more specifically, in the Bronx. With lots of experience beneath his wings, Bonema took his experiences and began to write and record his own music, releasing his debut album on Jun. 21, 2017, titled “MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE.” This album would be a culmination of the trials and tribulations Bonema had experienced up to that point of release. One thing to note about Bonema’s music is that it will always be a diary of how he was feeling until its release.
With the loss of his mother and an often uplifted adolescence, he was always moving from place to place, leaving him to feel lost, empty, and hungry for a deep connection. His albums carried distorted samples, a signature monotone voice and an off-beat flow that characterized his off-balance state of mind, amplifying his feelings. Furthermore, Bonema’s music is often portrayed by his coarse baritone voice, which was barely coherent beneath a blanket of soul-chopped reggae samples. Due to this combination’s inception, Bonema’s debut album would become a massive success, setting Bonema on the path to immense fame.
Influenced by the likes of MF DOOM, many drew comparisons between Bonema and Thebe “Earl Sweatshirt” Kgositsile. With the same creator influencing both artists, it’s clear they used a consistent, lucid, low-energy tone while balancing intricate and meticulous wordplay throughout their albums.
Since their inception, the relationship between Kgositsile and Bonema has blossomed, leading to collaborations on various projects. The most notable being their latest album POMEII//UTILITY. It was released on April 4, 2026. With production credits from the famous hip-hop duo SURF GANG, the album uses primarily trap-like production to highlight the enlightened states both rappers find themselves in.
POMEII//UTILITY is only the beginning for Bonema’s road to creative and personal clarity and enlightenment. While this road was never the smoothest, the cities he’s lived in have sculpted him into the meticulous rapper that he is today. With a staggering 900,000 listeners and climbing, Bonema’s fame is sure to explode past the lengths of Big Ben and The Empire State Building stacked on top of each other 12 times over.
