Mike City

Mike City, born Michael Flowers, first rose to prominence through songwriting and production on Carl Thomas' "I Wish," Sunshine Anderson's "Heard It All Before," and Brandy's "Full Moon." His activity reached well before those releases and has extended across subsequent decades, covering not only mature contemporary R&B but gospel, rap, pop, and house as well. Several years after earning his degree from North Carolina Central University, Flowers gained initial footing by producing, hosting, and performing on the 1997 rap compilation The N.C. All Star Project, Vol. 1, then issued his own R&B-centered solo project, City Limits, in 1998. He thereafter concentrated chiefly on uncredited work. Commercial recognition arrived via his contributions to Thomas, followed by further major successes with Anderson and Brandy during the same stretch that brought albums from Bilal, Babyface, and Usher carrying his input. Flowers remained steadily active across the next two decades without limiting himself to a single style, drawing interest from Karen Clark-Sheard, the Game, and Rihanna among others. Mid-decade he turned toward soul-rooted house music, serving as lead vocalist on multiple singles released by Tribe and Defected. He also produced The Feel Good Agenda, Vol. 1 (2017) for BBE, enlisting vocals from earlier associates including Thomas, Faith Evans, Lalah Hathaway, and Dwele.