Mykele Deville Releases Elegant Video for "Type Love" off Maintain

Too many people separate poets, lyricists, musicians, and rappers as distinct entities. When asked to pick a favorite writer or poet, a rapper is likely not the first to come to mind. Mykele Deville is here to change that.

From the west side of Chicago, Deville studied at the University of Illinois at Chicago before molding himself into the artist he is today. At UIC, he graduated with a BFA in Performance, and before music came into his life, his first love was undoubtedly poetry. He is a founding member of Growing Concerns Poetry Collective, which— described by the group— creates “lyrical, narrative, and hip-hop poetry with original music and soundscape to create spoken word performance.” Not a fan of pigeonholing, that description is apt in describing his solo creations as well.

Originally, Deville’s career focus was solely poetry, yet he found that with beats and body movement, people seemed to react to and appreciate the poems more. With his background in performance, he melded the two types of art to make his words breathe life.

Deville’s music has received much praise in and out of the Chicago DIY scene. His focus on working with all kinds of artists has made him both accessible and well liked. Though he’s 28— statistically the tail end of most rappers’ prime— Deville has been rising in the ranks, carving his own identity within hip-hop and redefining what it means to rap.

His new song entitled “Type Love,” featuring Daryn Alexus, promotes his much anticipated forthcoming album, Maintain. The song speaks to loving yourself before you love others, and the way he crafts the song allows it to stand on its own in a time of division within America. The narrative is universal enough to speak to everyone, yet it’s clear his focus is on the black male persona. The track’s gorgeous video was created by Mckenzie Chinn, another member of the Growing Concerns Poetry Collective. She explains, “I wanted to highlight the song’s idea of honoring self as well as the struggle of understanding self as a thing worthy of one’s own love. By using imagery and improvised choreography outside of a traditional narrative, we were able to create a dynamic and expressionistic portrait of black, masculine tenderness and softness - a mode in which black men are not often portrayed, but which is critical to dismantling toxic masculinity and advancing mental wellness for black men.”

The video begins with Deville ascending from a dark stairwell into bright, luminous sunlight on a rooftop, signifying rising up from oppression to stand in solidarity. Po’Chop, a performance artist whose real name is Jenn Freeman, gracefully dances on the rooftop against the static city skyline, and more than interacting with each other, Deville and Po’Chop each interact with themselves. Deville is seen softly touching the skin on his face and giving himself a bouquet of flowers, while Po’Chop gently holds her own hand and marvels in the warm sun. Though they are seen loving each other, the focus is self love and finding beauty from within. The message is clear: self love is the root of external love, leading us to a thoughtful and fearless humanity. The two showcase this in a delicate, captivating way.

Mykele Deville’s album Maintain is set to be released on February 22nd through No Trend Records. His release show promoting Maintain will be at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on March 3rd. Purchase your tickets here.

Track List:

1. Whispers

2. Free Soul

3. Type Love (ft. Daryn Alexus)

4. Kalief

5. You’re Enough

6. Loosies + Poem For Us (ft. McKenzie Chinn)

7. Maintain