Since elementary school, rappers Andrew 'X-ray' Mizzoni and Dean 'Lyric' Dolcetti have been driven to success. With the addition of DJ Gaetano 'Advocate', M.I.C. found their groove and set out for hip hop heights. Facing a battle with cancer and the trials of the hip hop industry, the boys of M.I.C. have each risen above personal challenges to achieve success with release their full length album The Hope, recorded at Metalworks.


"What sets us aside from other bands is our will power to give back.
On our debut album The Hope, we are donating a portion of the proceeds
to the Andrew Mizzoni Cancer Research Fund, which supports
pediatric cancer research at Sick kids Hospital."

On Friday June 12th, M.I.C. will headline Supernova.com’s Hip Hop showcase at the Reverb, and host the official release party for their new CD – The Hope. In preparation for the show, Lyric and X-Ray stopped by to talk about their hard fought path to the album, and the importance of creating hip hop with a conscience.

Introduce M.I.C. …how does each individual fit into the group?

M.I.C. is composed of 2 very talented emcees and a blossoming DJ; what’s great about us is that we all bring something different to the table.

Lyric (Dean) brings a lot of energy to the group through his flow and lyrical content. He also brings the music to life and makes sure every track is a hit for the M.I.C.. X-ray (Andrew) brings a more spiritual presence to the group and keeps us positive through rough times. He also takes care of a lot of the business aspect for M.I.C. As for DJ Advocate (Gaetano), he brings the creativity to the table and keeps us trying new things and keeps us staying fresh. Everyone contributes to the group in their own way to make the M.I.C. what it is.

How would you describe your sound?

We have a very UNIQUE sound: Hip-Hop with a conscience, a New School group doing Old School sh*t, classic, unique, lyrically and musically inclined. We are blessed with very creative musicianship, which combines both
highs and lows to excite our listeners.

What’s M.I.C.’s history; how did you come together?

The three of us have actually been great friends from the beginning. Ever since elementary school, Lyric has had his priorities set on making it big in the music industry. But it wasn’t until high school where both X-ray and DJ Advocate found their passion; ever since, we have collaborated with unmistakable chemistry.

To get to where we are today we would have to thank the guidance of James Fraser, our family and friends for their continued support, and of course our own personal drive.

Was there any particular moment or event that made you realize you wanted to pursue music full time?

X-ray: Growing up in the household of a Juno award recipient, I have always been exposed to various types of music. Evidently, by the time I was eight I was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer. Upon beating this disease I began to feel as if I was “chosen” to give back and make a difference. Music became my pathway towards success.

Lyric: My whole life I wanted to be in a real recording studio. I was always promised things like, “Yeah I got a studio you can come through n lay down some tracks,” or “I know a guy, that knows a guy that can get you in..” but my whole life, all these broken promises, cause no one ever came through.

So when Andrew told me his Dad knew someone that would do him a favour, I was a little skeptical. When I walked down the stairs and saw the booth and the mixers - hey it wasn’t a top notch studio, but it was the best studio I’d been in so far. I think that moment, along with getting our album mastered at Metalworks, was the moment that made me realize yeah, I wanna do this. Every time I walk in to the studio, stepped in the booth and lay down tracks, that made me want this more than ever!

What have you found to be most rewarding thing about making music?

X-ray: I find that the most rewarding value of being in a band is being able to inspire the world while doing something you love.

Lyric: One of the most rewarding things is just doing something that you love to do. I love to create hip-hop music and I found some friends that share the same interest as me. The most rewarding thing I guess is just the excitement that like – Yo, all this hard work is bound to pay off someday. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or in a couple months or years… But somewhere down the road I know that everything that we have done, all our energy, time and effort that we put into our music, it can’t go unnoticed forever, you know what I mean? I’m just waiting for the day when I can sit back and look at all I’ve accomplished from a higher perspective.

How do you want people to perceive
you as an artist?

X-ray: I would like to be perceived as an artist that not only makes music, but takes part in changing the world.

Lyric: Great question; if you’re talking about me personally, I want to be seen as a real talented lyricist and poet, a aspiring musician and producer. A real down to earth individual who’s not in it for the limelight or the money, I’m just doing what I love trying to make my family proud and doing it big for my city, province and country. If that other stuff like fame comes along the way, that’s great; but that’s definitely not my main objective. I want people to see me as the artist that the kids and teens can really relate to and that the adults respect for my knowledge, humbleness, talent and persistence.

Who would you most like to tour with?

X-ray: It would be an honour for me to tour with the most inspirational and influential musician of all time, Stevie Wonder.

Lyric: Wow, haha, If I could choose anyone, I would like tour with Eminem probably, that would be pretty dope, I know he always puts on a good show. Wouldn’t mind touring with Lil’ Wayne either cause I know he brings in the big crowds you know… But I would tour with anyone really even Canadian artists
like Kardinall and Classified would be cool.

I think someone should sponsor a tour where all Canadian artists collaborate and go on tour together around Canada, and M.I.C. had better be invited if that ends up happening hahaha!

What artists are you currently listening to?

X-ray: I currently listen to classic music from all genres, and especially enjoy Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Lionel Richie, and Seal.

Lyric: I picked up the new Eminem CD 'Relapse'… But I’m trying to listen to a bit of everything and everyone to just stay in the loop and to open up my mind for new ideas for myself and the M.I.C. From Hip-Hop artists like Lil’ Wayne & Ludacris to R&B stars like Ne-Yo and John Legend. I even started listening to some classics like Luther and Stevie Wonder thanks to X-Ray. As far as undiscovered artists, I think that D-Pryde is creating a spark, Big-Ups!

If you had to listen to one album on repeat for the rest of your life, what album would it be and why?

X-ray: I would listen to our album The Hope, because it is composed of many great songs which appeal to many various situations.

Lyric: That’s tough. There’s too many good albums to choose from... but it would be between 2Pac's 'Greatest Hits' (because no matter what I’ll be boppin' my head to Pac’s flow and every track is banger), Biggie's 'Greatest Hits' for the same reason, and Eminem's 'Curtain Call' because he’s got a track for almost every type of mood you could be in on that one.

What brought you to Supernova.com?

Our Publicity Team at Bent Penny Records introduced us to Ray who happened to be a part of Supernova.com. We were looking for a booking agent or someone to help us find some shows to perform and Ray gave us the opportunity to have our own album release party which was pretty cool.

I would tell other artists to check out Supernova because it’s a great way to help publicize yourself, and just another great way to be internet friendly and make more connections through your music.

Anything else listeners should know?

M.I.C. is the New Revolution of Hip-Hop! Canadians, Help Support Our Artists. Peace!

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M.I.C.’s debut album The Hope is available on iTunes and Rhapsody. If listeners would like any other information including bookings, contact JT Management (j@jtmanagement.ca).