John Michel and Anthony James: Underground Artist Spotlight

For rapper John Michel and producer Anthony James, music began as a shared hobby rather than a career goal. The two met while attending Drexel University in Philadelphia, connecting at a concert when James offered to send Michel some beats. That spontaneous exchange marked the beginning of one of hip-hop’s most promising young duos.

I recently spoke with James for this story after having talked with both artists in the past. Throughout my conversations with Michel and James, their chemistry and shared ideas were evident, offering a clear look at how their partnership has grown since their debut release.

The duo’s record, Egotrip, is a 12-track, 37-minute journey. Despite being their first collaboration, it has received critical acclaim and currently ranks as the 10th-highest-rated album on the popular review site Album of the Year. It’s also listed there as a “must-hear” release.

The album is packed with sharp lyricism from Michel and experimental, skillful sampling from James. It also boasts an impressive roster of guest artists, including rapper Yung Senju, critically acclaimed for his 2023 LP Blackman Wunderlan. Other contributors on Egotrip include Kennadi Rose, La Reezy, KidTokio, Colin and 8ig 8.

Despite the strong lineup and eventual praise, the process of making the album wasn’t easy. The project took more than two years to complete and required a constant grind to achieve their vision.

“We scrapped a ton of songs until we got the final product,” James said. “We kept getting better at music over time.”

Most of the scrapped songs will likely never see the light of day, but a few original cuts managed to survive.

“Funny enough, ‘Don’t Save Me’ and ‘World’s End’ weren’t even supposed to make the final cut,” James said.

Surprisingly, the two tracks he mentioned have become the album’s most popular songs. The leadoff track, “Don’t Save Me,” has already been streamed more than 850,000 times on Spotify alone.

The other track, “World’s End,” is the second-to-last song on the album. Not only is it the most streamed track, with more than 950,000 plays on Spotify, but it also boasts the highest score on Album of the Year, averaging 9.4 out of 10.

With the commercial success of these two tracks, it’s surprising they almost didn’t make the album.

“Michel thought ‘Don’t Save Me’ would take way too much work, and he wasn’t sure ‘World’s End’ could even be rapped on,” James said.

Ironically, Michel co-produced “Don’t Save Me,” and both songs went on to become the project’s biggest hits.

“World’s End” is a track focused on storytelling, with James’ sampling building in intensity and strength as the song unfolds. The track serves as an emotion-driven self-reflection, exploring Michel’s life through themes of struggle and the drive to improve.

The song dives into Michel’s fight with addiction and his family’s impact on his life. He mentions where he comes from and where he wants to go in an effort to get his message out — effectively an exorcism of emotion.

One standout line comes just before the song’s climactic octet, when Michel raps, “But I find excuses for my actions ’round the first and fifteenth.” For a biweekly paycheck, these dates typically mark payday. By referencing them, Michel hints at a pattern of irresponsible spending tied to his earnings.

Michel also projects his future success. Despite this being the duo’s first record, he confidently raps, “I’mma stay growing ’till I see my name up on the top / It’s John Michel, you ’boutta hear it a lot,” signaling his determination to rise in the industry.

Michel and James’ willingness to cut even standout tracks comes from a shared philosophy: they scrap songs that don’t fit the vision, re-record vocals if they’re even slightly off, and clearly invest immense effort into perfecting their work.

However, when it came time to finalize the tracklist, the duo agreed: “This is our best song.”

Since Egotrip was released in May, fans have been eager for the duo’s next body of work. Thankfully, the wait is almost over.

Looking ahead, James and Michel are already charting a new course for their next project.

“Me and John Michel aren’t using any samples for the next stuff. We wanna record with a live band,” James said, signaling a shift from the experimental sampling that defined Egotrip.

The duo hopes to push the boundaries of hip-hop production, balancing the power of Michel’s lyricism with live instrumentation.

James understands the difficulty of the task but is dedicated to making lasting art.

“It honestly is going well right now,” he said. “But we might’ve bit off more than we can chew — I want to keep trying.”

This shows the duo’s dedication to evolving their sound, in that even if their first attempt doesn’t work, they keep pushing until they are satisfied with the product.

The duo is also focused on longevity, not just what’s popular now.

“I don’t wanna be one of those artists who have their moment and vanish. I really want to push the instrumental aspect of hip-hop as much as the raps,” James said.

Their pinpoint approach from Egotrip carries over into this next project. James emphasized that nothing will be released unless it meets their high standards.

“I don’t wanna put anything else out unless it’s really as cool as I expect it to be,” he said, showing the care and ambition behind their work.

Their next single, “Miss Me,” will be released Nov. 7. Michel has teased the track on TikTok, and James confirmed the drop in our interview. Based on the snippet, it sounds like an energetic, hype-filled anthem that keeps the duo’s momentum rolling.

For Michel and James, the future isn’t just about maintaining what they’ve built — it’s about breaking the barriers of hip-hop and pushing the genre to its full potential. If Egotrip is any indication, they’re just getting started.

Jack Dobbins is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jwd5889@psu.edu.