NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a decade has passed since Mike Will Made-It’s last solo album. The hip-hop super producer spent much of that time learning, expanding his business endeavors and rebuilding his musical vault after his hard drives were stolen.
“We all go through ups and downs and bumps and turbulence and all that kind of stuff during whatever journey,” said the 36-year-old Grammy-winning producer. “I was able to do a lot of reflection and look at the landscape of the game … just learn a lot and put it into perspective.”
The producer of Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” and co-producer of Beyoncé’s “Formation” put all of his newly acquired knowledge into “R3SET,” his 15-track star-studded album out Friday.
Following 2017’s “Ransom 2,” this new project features contributions from rap megastar J. Cole, as well as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, arguably the hottest street rapper out. There are also heavyweights like 2 Chainz, Ludacris, T.I. and CeeLo Green paired on some tracks with newer artists like Monaleo and Teezo Touchdown.
During his unintentional solo hiatus, Mike Will still created music, including crafting the 2018 “Creed II” soundtrack, collaboration projects with Yo Gotti and Trouble, and co-producing three songs on Miley Cyrus’s “Endless Summer Vacation” album which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2023. He also built an 80,000-square-foot (7,432-square-meter) compound used as a creative event space in Atlanta, that also houses his state-of the-art studio.
“If I know this recipe, and I know it’s gonna work, and I know I gotta put it in the Crock-Pot and it gotta sit in there … I just gotta deal with you telling me, ’Man, it’s taking too long,” he explained. “But I know once you taste it, it’s gonna slap you upside the head … I took the same approach with the album.”
The man who joined a rapping Miley Cyrus with Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa on “23” spoke with The Associated Press about the “Flowers” singer, unanswered phone calls and trap beats created with AI. This interviewed has been edited for brevity and clarity.
AP: What kinds of ups and downs did you face that led to your solo album hiatus?
MIKE WILL MADE-IT: I lost my hard drives, that was a big one. I fulfilled my label deal. … And then took a step away. I ain’t know I was gonna take this long.
That’s the thing about this industry, too: it’s like, when you’re hot, everybody’s in your face, they’re your ‘bro,’ they’re rocking with you. And then, if you’re not on them charts or you’re not hot, the conversation’s just a little different. You’re not able to reach the same folks at the same time. That kind of gets discouraging.
AP: Were you surprised you couldn’t reach artists you worked with before?
MIKE WILL MADE-IT: It’s surprising, but that’s when you’re not looking at it like business … This corporation is just doing what they have to do to build and expand. Just because me as a corporation is dormant right now … it might not make sense for this corporation to (collaborate).
AP: How did you decide to pair Atlanta legends with rising artists on ‘R3SET?
MIKE WILL MADE IT: I gotta represent for the town, for this sound that I grew up on … I filled that position way back in ‘07, ’08. So now, 2026, like no matter how big the (expletive) gets, every project that I ever went into, from Rihanna to Beyoncé to Miley to Jay-Z to Kendrick, I’m always thinking about that sound.
Even with Miley, I grew up on MTV AM, like crossover records, pop records … doing that record (“23”) with Miley was like a perfect bridge to that. … At that time, we were trying to create a new genre called trap pop … we still were thinking to keep that DNA in there.
AP: Did you talk with Miley about appearing on this album?
MIKE WILL MADE-IT: I think I got three songs on her last album. … Me and Miley got a boatload of records. So, it’s like this specific record, I didn’t really call anybody and say, ‘Yo, I need you for this album.’ I literally just been working.
AP: You’ve mentioned AI is being used to create trap beats. Can AI recreate your sounds?
MIKE WILL MADE-IT: I’m one-of-one … I don’t think they ever said AI knows how to do magic. You feel me? They can’t do God’s work.
Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
