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MIKE-E's contribution to Detroit also includes his performance at the 2016 Concert of Colors, where he performed his song, “Hard Enough To Smile,” sending a message about Black history and social justice. In another performance at Detroit’s Concert of Colors, MIKE-E and singer Alison Lewis covered Bob Dylan's "Only A Pawn In Their Game," honoring civil rights leader Medgar Evers. MIKE-E told the story of Evers, who served in the Army and became honorably discharged as a sergeant before getting shot in front of his home and dying after being denied entry into the hospital.

“Sergeant Medgar Evers survived WWII only to be killed in his own driveway,” MIKE-E said at the concert. “How patriotic do you have to be to do that?”

The multifaceted artist has also used poetry and public speaking to address genocide in Rwanda, combat bullying and teen suicide and uplift people in war-torn countries. As an actor, MIKE-E made an appearance on a recent episode of Chicago Fire as Detective Sorenson.

With every step he has taken throughout his endeavors, the Ethiopian-born American has deepened his appreciation for the people and places have helped him gain “a broad cultural lens and helped him climb out of his ignorance.” The artist’s inspiration includes Robert Simon Jr., who founded the Virginia town where MIKE-E was raised.

“He intentionally designed Reston as a community — a live, work, play space that would welcome and accommodate people of all cultures, genders, orientations and economic levels,” MIKE-E said. “It was a beautiful, nature-filled haven that this man created.”

According to The New York Times, Simon designed Reston in the 1960s as a “village” of about 12,000 residents, with 35 churches, 21 schools, seven shopping plazas, an industrial park and a vibrant downtown area. Still, being Black in Reston wasn’t always glamorous.

“I attended a high school named after Langston Hughes, the great poet,” he said. “It was spraypainted with the word n****r and some of the windows were broken when it first opened.”

Adding to the challenge of growing up in America, the artist was teased when he told his friends about his birthplace.

“When I would tell people I was born in Ethiopia, I was teased because I was very skinny,” the musician said. “People would say, ‘No wonder you’re so skinny.’”

On his trip back to Ethiopia, the producer hoped to find a more welcoming community. However, the reality was that Ethiopians still saw and referred to him as a "ferenge," which means foreigner, and his inability to communicate made him feel more isolated.

"All I could say was a bad version of 'tena yistilign,'" MIKE-E said, referring to the Amharic word for hello.

With the transition to Ethiopia proving to be more difficult than he expected, MIKE-E had to adjust his “romanticized vision of Ethiopia."

"I had this Western mentality," he said. "I did and said a lot of the wrong things. It took time to learn how to let the culture impact me."

The rapper found his purpose in the country when he erased his “Western savior mentality,” and started “partnering with the right people to make the right contribution.”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but that was a real process,” he said. “Thankfully through God’s grace, and a lot of Ethiopians who recognized what I really endeavored to do, they helped me make that transition and make a tangible contribution.”

The philanthropist has carried out his mission by working with Sister Tibebe Maco’s orphan support programs, as well as several other Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Associations at colleges and universities. He has also spearheaded the Fistula Foundation in Ethiopia, worked with the Maternal Child Health Center in the city of Awassa and led the American Cancer Society’s first official delegation to Ethiopia in support of oncology.

MIKE-E’s journey in Ethiopia has allowed him to cross paths with legendary singers Tilahun Gessesse and Alemayehu Eshete.

“I had a chance to meet the great Tilahun Gessesse before he passed away. He hugged me and gave me his blessings,” the artist said. “Alemayehu Eshete gave me his blessings to remix ‘Addis Ababa Bete.’”

Ethiopian-artist

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