Known across the Twin Cities music scene as an impactful artist, mentor, writer, and collaborator, Mike Dreams left an impact on many. He died at the age of 34 on Tuesday evening, according to many online tributes. No cause of death was released.

Mike Dreams, originally born Michael Alexander Hannah, grew up in Brooklyn Park. He started rapping in high school, shortly after the murder of his brother in 2006. Then known as Young Son, he burst onto the scene in 2007 with the song “A Timeless Classic,” accompanied by a video set in downtown Minneapolis. He recollected humbler days of coming up from nothing, and wanting to also pass the knowledge and skills he gained onto others. Early influences he cited often were Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, B.O.B, and J. Cole, among many others, which could be heard in the music. 

Hannah began making his rounds at open mics for organizations such as Yo! The Movement, and Voices Merging, which continued in high school, and during college at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. He formed friendships with Leonard “Hypel” Searcy, and Anthony “AJ Soul” Johnson. “We began recording and making new tracks wherever we could set up a keyboard and computer,” Johnson recalls. “He spoke about not really striving to be famous, but simply wanting to do what he loved for a living. Even if that meant walking into a grocery store and hearing his music being played with nobody knowing who he is.”

In 2008, Hannah would meet another one of his close collaborators, Ashley DuBose. “My fiance  [hip-hop artist] Cameron Mann, who was my boyfriend at the time, hosted a birthday dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Mike came to the dinner to meet Cameron for the first time, and they had connected over music. Cameron introduced us, and told Mike that I could sing.”

DuBose remembers the first time she saw Hannah perform at the Fine Line, when he was still known as Young Son. “I became an instant fan of his charisma and lyrical genius,” she says. Dreams and DuBose would join forces with Hypel, AJ Soul, Brandon Trevon, and Margeaux Davis as the collective Stories of Glory, performing at many venues across the Twin Cities.

He then made the decision to change his name to Mike Dreams, and released the album Dreamer’s Poetry in early 2010, which was at the height of the blog era in hip-hop. Premiering on 2DopeBoyz.com and DJBooth.net, Dreamer’s Poetry would featured the singles “Success Is…” and “Hip-Hope Anthem,” which struck a more hopeful, triumphant, and uplifting tone amidst the wave of self-deprecating and conscious hip-hop coming out of the Twin Cities. Dreams held a release party on February 10, 2010 at 7th Street Entry. The project gained widespread attention, and he was part of the lineup for Rhymesayers Entertainment’s Soundset music festival at Canterbury Park later that year.

Mike Dreams would partner with DJBooth.net once again to release his follow-up album, Just Waking Up, in October of 2010. Just Waking Up features his most-viewed video to date, “So Long” with Ryanne Noelle. That song, along with many others on the album, contained wider swings at capturing a more mainstream audience, which at the time, was unlike anything that had come out of the Twin Cities hip-hop scene.

His next project was the mixtape Youngin’ From ’88, hosted by DJ Advance and released in July of 2012. The project had him working with an array of then-newcomers such as MaLLy, Bobby Raps, Just Wulf, and countless more on the posse cut “Crewed Up (The Next Generation).”

Shortly after Youngin’ From ‘88, Dreams returned with Millennial in August of 2012. Muja Messiah, K.Raydio, and more open up at the release party at 7th Street Entry. Millennial was anchored by the singles “Everything’s Good” featuring Christina Sophia, and “Still Standing Here” with Ashley DuBose, both which lightly depicted Mike Dreams in a more honest and vulnerable light, sharing with friends and fans alike his struggles with alcoholism and mental health issues. One of the highlights on Millennial was the closing song, “The Rest of My Life,” featuring a collaboration with K.Raydio, who spent a lot of time with Dreams performing in alternative schools, treatment centers, and youth organizations.

“He loved inspiring other young people, and he was always trying to make youth feel a sense of purpose," K.Raydio remembers. “When we recorded, I got to see firsthand that Mike was an absolute perfectionist. He wanted everything to sound how it sounded in his head. He also wanted me to do my thing and didn't interfere at all with my creative process. Mike was one of the first rappers to ever ask me to write and sing on a song together.”

Dreams took a hiatus after the release of Millennial, but never stopped mentoring and doing features with countless other acts, like Ashley DuBose, LNJAY, Christina Sophia, and a young Dwynell Roland. Mike would provide Dwynell with a cameo appearance on the song “Summertime Chillin’” off Dwynell’s Make Due EP, and again on “What We Do,” on Dywnell’s debut album, 92 & Roland (produced by myself, Egypto Knuckles).

The next Mike Dreams album, Pardon My Vices, released in December of 2016, started to delve into more of his mental health struggles and alcoholism head-on, offering a much-needed peek behind the curtain. Anchored by the single “Like It’s 1998” featuring Muja Messiah, the album also featured appearances with his longtime collaborator Ashley DuBose, who was fresh off her time as part of the season five cast of The Voice, as well as Asia Divine and Destiny Roberts. Dreams continued keeping his eyes out for talent to refresh his outlook on life and mental health, and reinvigorate his creative streak.

In 2019, he released Young Vet, a short project that prepared listeners for his next full-length project, CAREPHREE, which arrived in June of 2021. CAREPHREE was a full-circle revival of the positivity anchoring his earlier work, and caught the ear of Carbon Sound host Sanni Brown. She remembered a younger Mike Dreams appearing on the St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) Candy Fresh show, when she was hosting. “You can hear it in his music,” she says. “CAREPHREE was so powerful, empowering, and positive. Listen to the ‘CAREPHREE Intro,’ when he says, ‘CAREPHREE … tried to be someone else but I'm still me; I was waiting on these people to feel me until I realized all that matters is that I feel free!’” Sean McPherson, musician and Brown’s former cohost on The Current’s The Message, also wrote a touching tribute. 

Over the timespan of Mike’s musical career, his collaborations and support of artists showed how he poured himself into every project he released. Additionally, the spirit he carried and the way he championed those very same artists in being and believing themselves is something that will stick with each of them. “He made me feel like I had something special, and that encouraged me to continue my musical pursuits,” DuBose says. “He changed my life and helped start my artist journey by giving me a platform on his projects and by introducing me to the producers that later helped me create my own projects. He made me feel like it was OK to be a dreamer.”

“Mike was genuine in his support of other artists, and had some of the best showmanship out of any emcee in Minnesota,” K.Raydio says. “Mike was a huge part of the big moments and memories that are part of Minneapolis music history. He was proud of his hometown, proud of his fellow artists, and always wanting people to pay attention to how talented Minnesota really is.”

There will be a funeral service for Mike Dreams on Tuesday, February 7, at Spiritual Life Church, 6865 Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center. Viewing will take place at 11 a.m., and the funeral will be at 12 p.m.