Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante MBE
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asantewas born in East London and is a renowned producer, composer, singer, dancer and DJ, whose 20-year career history is firmly etched in the UK urban music industry. He is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue, founded in 2001 with Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy. After landing a publishing deal, Asante retired as a dancer to focus on creating longer pieces of music - taking hip-hop - and Boy Blues sonics - into a composer space. As a music producer, Mikey boasts a diverse catalogue within his discography; creating music for films Street Dance 3D and All Stars, enjoying session work and production for major label artists including Delilah, Raleigh Ritchie, Estelle, George The Poet and Kano. In 2019 Mikey’s work included composing the music for Tree, a Kwame Kwei-Armah and Idris Elba creation and a collaboration with Brian Eno for the soundtrack on Netflix’s Top Boy. Outside of the studio, Asante mentors and delivers master classes in directing, choreography and music and is a Professor of Electronic Music at Guildhall School of Music from where he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship (HonFGS) in 2018. In 2022, Asante was awarded an MBE for services to Hip-Hop Dance and Music in the Queen's New Years Honours list.