Mike G sounds like nothing fazes him because he’s likely seen it all. From helping usher in the most influential music movement of the 2010s with Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, and more, to carving a legacy for himself that spans seven projects across 15 years and untold memories, he's a part of history that's been revered by millions.

He shared, “If you could get [Domo Genesis] to tell you that story, he’ll tell you Juicy J wasn't going to end up on the [“Go (Gas)”] song, but Domo had to stress how impactful Juicy J was to Tyler. It was the funniest thing.”

In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” the “Champagne Colored Diamonds” lyricist explains how his Camp Flog Gnaw performance reflected how he likes to make music, early collaborations with Tyler, the Creator, and his plan to explore new metals in future projects.

This Camp Flog Gnaw performance is in celebration of the festival’s 10-year anniversary. Are there any special studio sessions attached to the songs you performed that can show your journey?

I would say the most recent release I put out last year, “Champagne Colored Diamonds.” I made two parts of it. I had the original beat for maybe 10 years. I developed the first part, then we went to Texas to record the second part with live instrumentation on it with my producer Jawa. We’re releasing a project together. We worked with Mike Machinist from Shinobi Ninja. He killed the guitar section. The way the crowd responded to it was amazing. When mixing the song with the engineer, who was in Texas, he sent me this website where he can mix it live while I'm watching remotely. That was one of the best experiences of developing a song and then bringing it to the stage.

You revealed the unseen cover art for your unreleased Gold album on stage. What happened to those songs?

On the low, a lot of them leaked. I went to a radio station and played some of them. People ripped and leaked them. A few of them actually dispersed through other projects, on the low.

You showed a creative duality on stage as you rapped while someone made a live painting. How does that duality reflect in your creative process in the studio making music?

When producing, I like putting random stuff on, like anime or old shows like “M*A*S*H.” I even watch shows that got canceled before they were released. I would produce while those are on, and they always sync up. That’s the best part of the visual inspiration. I’m inspired by a lot of things. I put on movies. I always put on battle raps.

You’ve been putting out music for over 15 years. Who was the first major artist you worked with in the studio that made you feel like you made it in this industry?

That would probably be when I was in the studio with Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. I smoked Wiz’s weed and fell asleep (laughs). There's a picture of us on the internet floating around. They're all standing around, and I'm asleep. It’s the funniest thing, for sure. Domo [Genesis] having the song with Wiz was the biggest thing for everybody. If you could get him to tell you that story, he’ll tell you Juicy J wasn't going to end up on the song, but Domo had to stress how impactful Juicy J was to Tyler. It was the funniest thing.

You’re also celebrating some anniversaries. The 13th anniversary of your Award Tour EP passed. It was, in a way, a collab project with Vince Staples, who appeared on four of the six tracks. What was it like making that project with Vince back in 2011?

Vince was always the realest rapper, to me, at the time. Earl was away, at the time, and the chemistry I had with Earl translated to Vince because they were so close, as well. I was running around with Vince, studio to studio, day to day, whipping around seeing Westside Ty everywhere. Vince was so understanding of the creative sense we were doing. He didn’t completely latch onto our Odd Future style, but he was open to making the music.

From then to now, how have you evolved as a recording artist?

Structurally, I love developing and researching. I'm a Hip Hop head. I used to put myself on other people's songs, so I learned how to loop up beats, and that led to sampling and stuff like that. Then, that led to me working with a band, which is a whole different element. I learned new tactics with this studio training.

You’ve worked with Tyler, the Creator for most of your career. What’s the funniest session you’ve had with him?

It was probably the “Stick-Up” session. That was good. We would stay in the studio, so it was across a day and a half. Me and Earl sat down, came up with it back and forth, but we were doing whatever we could do to complete the song. Tyler and Taco were in the booth yelling at each other. That was funny.

What would a typical session be like with Tyler back in the early days?

Everybody would be staying at the house. We would probably go to Fairfax randomly, come back, and somebody might stay at the studio and be working. It’s always a cycle. If you tried to put a structure or a schedule to it, I don't think it would have worked out.

What’s one of your favorite sessions?

Working with the Awful Records people, like Archibald Slim and Coodie Breeze, is cool. But I just love being in the studio. Every time is a new experience for sure.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2024 and 2025?

I do have another collaborative project. I might let it go this year, I might hold on to it. But, for 2025, we're going up, for sure. I got mad music. There will be more collaboration projects. We’ll do other metals other than gold. It’ll mean a lot to me. So, I'm getting this music out. I've been working on it.