Sharp. Eclectic. And completely off the wall. From the viciously fast-paced 'Hustlin Ill' to the self aware reflections of 'Desperado', '16 Bars' gives listeners a look inside the 16 different personas that make Portland emcee Mike Bars one of the most diverse hip hop artists on the rise. Covering everything from R&B and Dubstep to Old School Hip Hop, there is something on this project for everyone. With scratches from the talented DJ Hoppa, and guest appearances from both SwizZz and Dizzy Wright, the presence of Independent record label, Funk Volume, can definitely be felt throughout ’16 Bars’. To compliment the mixtape, an incredibly graphic music video was released on Halloween for ‘There Will Be Blood’, which has already reached over 22,000 views. With 530 subscribers, nearly 81,000 cumulative YouTube views, and having performed with the likes of Twista, members of Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mack 10, Three 6 Mafia, Glasses Malone, and Yukmouth, Mike seems to be well on his way to making a big splash in the underground music scene.

The Fighter (ReProd. by The Dream Team)

Words I never said, rotting in my chest,
Biting back the venom, can’t give it a rest.
Tongue tied, teeth clenched, rage left to stew,
Every thought a fracture, every scream overdue.

Holding back explosions, swallowing my fire,
Every ounce of fury fuels the funeral pyre.
Silent storms within me, rattling my cage,
Every beat, every breath, trapped in my own rage.

I feel it rising, can’t contain the rot,
Every word unsaid, every plan forgot.

Tongue tied teeth, I chew my pain
Swallowing the fury, dancing in the rain
Silent anger, building inside
Words I can’t say, nowhere to hide
Tongue tied teeth, it’s eating me whole
Biting back the chaos, losing control

I’m sure you relate, sitting in your room late,
Words you wish you spoke now festering in your fate.
Saw my best friend laughing while I kept quiet,
Mouth full of teeth, my rage like a riot.

Walked past the hallway where the echoes scream,
Every step a reminder of what I couldn’t redeem.
Locker slammed, heart jammed, I wanted to shout,
But the words stayed trapped, boiling rage inside out.

Flashed back to dinner, plates clattered like bombs,
Parent yelling, teacher failing, friends gone, I’m numb.
Tongue tied teeth, I chewed my tongue raw,
Every line I never said is a jagged claw.

I’m pacing, lacing my brain with fire,
Every sentence unspoken fuels the internal pyre.
Anger in my pocket, anxiety in my chest,
A story of my silent war, words I never expressed.

So when you feel the burn of holding back rage,
Think of me trapped in my mind, a caged stage.
Vivid scenes, screams between the lines,
Tongue tied teeth, swallowing all my crimes.

Rotting words, tangled chords, can’t escape my mind,
Silent storms, twisting forms, nowhere to unwind.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to fight,
Every word I swallowed, lost in the night.
Tongue tied teeth, I’m my own cage,
Raging in silence, trapped in this stage.

Tongue tied teeth, I chew my pain
Swallowing the fury, dancing in the rain
Silent anger, building inside
Words I can’t say, nowhere to hide
Tongue tied teeth, it’s eating me whole
Biting back the chaos, losing control

Teeth clenched, tongue tied… the storm remains…
Silent fire burns… inside my veins…

TONGUE TIED TEETH

مش مستغنيه

REBORN is not an album. It’s a rupture in the wall.

This is the moment you realize the world you inherited was scripted long before you arrived. Numbers before names. Obedience before truth. A system so old it hides behind tradition, comfort, and routine. You were trained to survive inside it, not to question it.

But something cracks.

REBORN is the sound of that crack becoming a collapse.

Each track is a descent into the machinery. The lies. The loops. The invisible cage that convinces you this is all there is. The album doesn’t ask politely. It drags the listener to the mirror and forces a choice. Stay programmed, or commit the most dangerous act imaginable.

Kill the old version of yourself.

Not the body. The conditioning. The false identity handed to you and called “normal.” The fear that kept you small. The voice that told you to wait, comply, behave.

What follows is not comfort. It’s ignition.

REBORN is the ritual of shedding skin. Of burning names, roles, and limits. Of remembering something ancient that was buried on purpose. Power that was muted. Instinct that was domesticated. Truth that was locked behind noise.

This album lives in the space between destruction and awakening. Dark, cinematic, relentless. It doesn’t save you. It shows you the door, then dares you to walk through it.

When the final track fades, there is no going back.

You don’t escape the system by fighting it.

You escape by becoming someone it can no longer control.

This is REBORN.

And the version of you that enters
will not be the one that leaves. 🜂

Actin Like You Know (feat. Tech N9ne)

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