After appearing in our Trilligan’s Island documentary in 2014, Boricua MC Mike Towers has had a whirlwind two years. Since then, he’s received co-signs from DJ Khaled, recorded in New York, and established close ties to French Montana and his crew. Now his self-proclaimed “rookie season” is over, since he just dropped his first mixtape El Final del Principio this month.

Combining New York-style grit, ATLien trap, and good old-fashioned Boricua street smarts, Mike Towers is poised to become a major player in the Puerto Rican hip-hop game, which is finally getting its footing. Ahead of his SXSW debut, we caught up with Towers to talk Boricua flow, his Young Kingz movement, and his next move.

Thumbnail photo by Itzel Alejandra Martinez