The concept of time—past, present, and future—is a fundamental aspect of the human experience and has been contemplated throughout history in philosophy, physics, literature, art and everyday life.

The Past

I am a child of two Ghanaian parents, one Ashanti and one Gar. I was born in Manor Park, East London. We then moved to Ilford when I was one. Three years later my brother was born, then I become what is called an older brother! I’ve had that moniker since then.

That’s been with me since then […] a big part of the nature of what I do today in the sense that there is this big brother kind of attitude that consistently sticks from that point. So him coming is quite powerful, in that regard, for me.

At Nine I wanted to be an actor. My school – St. Paul’s – did a production of Bugsy Malone. Only one role for a Black guy: Fizzy

I go for Fizzy and I get it!

In that particular energy, I find out I can sing. In that same scenario with an audience, I do my lines and everyone’s laughing. ‘Why’s everyone laughing?’

So I found out I’m funny! I’m also dancing during that time.

That experience gets me into the County Choir. I’m exposed to harmony in a major way. Started learning violin, guitar but I end up quitting those because singing has now hit me really really hard.

Jump to 14. I don’t want to be an actor now but through singing sessions in school & outside of school; […] the idea of being experimental & scientific – connecting it with music production – that 14 year old guy saw a studio and said ‘I’m going to be a music producer.’

I asked my dad for a keyboard that we managed to get from Cash Converters and that’s when I start getting introduced to recording things.

But now, this music production strand is really connected to the fact that I want to be a singer. I’m like ‘if I’m going to sing, I’ve got to produce my records.’ Let’s jump now to 20, I make the massive transition from being at school in this time. I’ve met Kenrick – he’s not interested in dancing – it’s in ‘99 where Ken goes 'I want to dance.’

I ended up going to Westminster University. […] The University lifestyle didn’t really catch me. I was always rehearsing. Three days of rehearsal with Ken & Matrix, our group at the time.

I should’ve listened to my dad saying ‘You should study something else.’ As I was doing the course they were telling me ‘you got to be in it.’

So I quit everything and decided to go into Music Production full-time.

25 was the first time Mikey J was real. That was when I worked on Kano’s album “Home, Sweet Home” and got my first publishing deal. So the story of this idea of this producer became a reality then.

The dream I forged to my parents that I was going to have, actualised as well then, because now am I published, a real producer. And through all of that. I’m a Big Brother.

A lot of 1st generation immigrant children would understand the notion of you are living two lives: one that is totally African at home – the food, the music, the vibe, you’re going back home, the language all of that – then you’ve got this other Britishness, which doesn’t fully equate to your parents. They don’t fully understand it as well, because it’s all new to them.

So we’re both navigating this these two different worlds & in all of that is my parents just totally trusting that I had an idea of what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. And as we sit in this studio now, yeah, I’ve been doing that for the last 25 years.

The Present

The present is the moment we are currently experiencing—it's the only facet of time that we can directly interact with and influence. Philosophers and mindfulness practitioners often emphasise the importance of being fully present, as it's the only time in which we truly live. The present is fleeting, constantly transforming into the past while pulling the future towards us.

The notion of legacy has become an important word, right? I think in two parts. One, because there’s a certain responsibility that’s connected with the idea of you have created something.

How does it sustain? How does it maintain? And then how do you see it moving forward. […] There’s there’s a real there’s a real attitude of youth is not on your side.

The other part is parenting. I’m a dad now. Got a two year old. So you’re doing that ‘Okay, when I’m not here, how is he going to be? How can I prepare him?’

So in this moment? I really sit there as someone who’s looking at what I’ve built. But then also at the same time, trying to consider that I’ve got to try and make sure that it sustains and lives longer than I do on both runs.

But funny enough I’ve still got more to achieve in the present. I’m thinking about the projects that I want to do personally, the projects that I have to do with other collaborators.

I would just say my mind is full, you know. Try to figure out how to sustain, how to maintain and how to improve and collaborate and be a solid, creative everyday.

The Future

The future encompasses all events that have yet to occur. It represents possibility, potential, and uncertainty. While we cannot experience the future directly, we can plan for it, anticipate it, and shape it through our present actions.

When I think about The process or even the idea of where I am today. It was there is no blueprint. There is no true understanding of ‘this is how I’m going to get to where I need to get to’. I always go back to that 4-year-old version of myself.

I always dream about if I was to meet him and say ‘bro, this is what happens’ and he’d be so excited!

As you get older as you lose family friends, you lose your parents, I’ve lost my dad.

The idea of what the future is shrinks, because it now just revolves around health. You know, it now revolves around a certain consistency, which lives in a few pillars like money, home security, you know all those other things.

I live in those kind of 2 dimensions when there’s the reality aspect but then there is this gift of me, not knowing that has been so useful, important in my life.

And it’s always been connected to feeling an emotion. Me and Ken created Boy Blue, the energy of what Boy Blue is from that feeling, an emotion. And it’s given us way more than we can ever imagine. I remember the most I wanted to do as a future kind of idea was make what we made, which was Pied Piper. Everything else was not in the dream.

Back in the day the idea of sitting at the Grammys and all those things were big milestones but they’re not the thing anymore for me.

I’ve really enjoyed this totally organic, totally real and honest version of what myself, Ken and the rest of the creatives that I’ve worked with have created because it doesn’t live in this vein of of a creativity which looks a particular way it’s totally moved by the beat and the pace of our own drum.

The ideal future is just trying to consider and continue to make the space available, fertile and and potent for the next creative.

Now I've got the gift of being a parent as well in that journey, so I'm getting the opportunity to see it not only from the front row seat as a creative, but not from the front row seat as a parent.

So seeing how we can continue to make that space, great for young people, for them to say, part of my training, whatever they do [part of it was] it being in Boy Blue, then that would be a massive future endeavour for me.

And then hopefully that energy has a domino effect across the ages and then eventually one day I'll retire.