Mike Posner

Launching an Internet-assisted career while still in school isn’t unheard of these days, but Duke University’s own Mike Posner has pushed that to an even more surreal place by amassing a considerable ammo-belt of collaborators (Kid Cudi, The XX, 3OH!3, Bun B) on two mixtapes from 2009, A Matter Of Time and One Foot Out The Door, and later signing with Sony imprint J Records. Posner deserves credit for singing on-key and mostly avoiding Auto-Tune, but his thin, whisper-like vocal tone creates an effect that’s often as creepy as it is seductive. This is especially apparent on his Billboard topping hits, including the single “Cooler Than Me,” where Posner asks the age-old question, “You think you’re cooler than me?” Answers vary.  

Updated 10/19/2011