In 2020 MIKE had spoken on his past projects, in a quote from HYPEBEAST he said, “A lot of the project was bringing myself back to life because a lot of times I was working on it, I feel like I was not really being transparent with myself — not really paying attention to my feelings. When you’re not being honest with other people you’re low-key numbing parts of yourself you feel me? That sh*t eats at certain parts of your growth.” After dropping “Love Supremacy.” In 2020 he reminisces on seeing his mother for the last time on the track, “Walked her out the Earth, just me, a couple nurses.” 

This track was the spark that lit a new path for MIKE, this growth impacted him not only as a rapper but as a person.  Now in the modern day Bear Trap headlines MIKE's 10th studio album Showbiz!, Bear Trap is a continuation of that path MIKE has set to travel on throughout this album, undoubtedly being a perfect representation  of the high highs, and low lows of “Showbiz!”.

Bear Trap-MIKE

The song enters with an unfamiliar voice; it can be inferred as MIKE’s late mother. As her voice greets the listener's ears amidst conversation, a melody simultaneously builds up and soon overpowers her voice. MIKE begins his verse reminiscing a time in his life; “Dreams of gettin' rich, I was poor then.” MIKE starts off stating his superficial desires, he then contrasts to where he is now. “Nowadays, I don't pray for shit but for more strength.” MIKE is reminiscing a simpler time in life. A time where his biggest problem was money, now his biggest problem is dealing with the death of his mother. 

MIKE doesn't know how to process his feelings, he acknowledges having a friend to turn to about the long term grief he’s faced. “I know you waitin' on me, twin, I keep a sore chest.” I'm out of ways to tell you what it is or how to forget.” This last line is so important to present day MIKE because it shows he’s now exhausted from the pain, he’s trying to find the answers; the right things to say to those he loves, to those who are there to support him. But he no longer knows how to explain or understand what it is, or how to move on from it. He continues to open up,“It pains me, God, I drift, there's no remorse left.” He explains that he is slowly “drifting” from the feeling of guilt surrounding his mother’s death, so much so that he is becoming numb to it even while still bearing pain. He follows with, “But I guess you bound to hate to shit that you was force-fed.” This is MIKE being aware that his pain was not chosen, it was forced onto him and it’s only natural he’d resent something he never asked for. This also is a glimpse of him having to understand that even though his pain was forced onto him, how he handles it is his choice. 

MIKE explains his process of mourning, “That sour taste, bitter, how I mourn best.” He’s identifying his way of grieving loss is resentment. The feeling of stomaching his resentment- his grief, isn't bearable. But despite it he can't escape from it, like a bad taste in your mouth he can’t wash it out or wash it down, even if it’s not what he truly feels, it's just the only way he knows how to grieve. He knows it’s not healthy, but it's the cards he was dealt, and he’s acknowledging that.

 Next he says, “I'm down to take a trip, but I'm a tour vet. Keep it close, I'm down to wait a bit inside of torment.” He’s saying that he’s willing to try something new to cope with the pain, but like a tour vet he’s been around the block, he's done this before, and he's done this so many times to no avail, that now he’s choosing to sit with the pain. “Sleeve of smoke, I try and gain my spirit, make it storm less.” MIKE is subtly hinting at his reliance on smoking being one of his coping mechanisms, but he’s also metaphorically referring to smoking being his “sleeves”, his protection; the thing that is holding him down. He abuses drugs to white-wall his feelings in such a tough time of his life. He uses substances to cover himself from feeling those emotions and hide him from his pain. But just like smoke it’s only there temporarily, soon things go back to how they were, this is MIKE admitting he knows his pain is only masked temporarily.

Skip past a line or 2 and MIKE says, “But I'm the only victim of the war ahead-could be explosive, gotta play the villain and mature friend.” This line again is self reflection from himself but also him looking into what the future holds for the toxic path he’s built for himself. When MIKE refers to the war ahead he’s referring to the war in his mind, the constant battles that he faces that only build up his toxic tendencies, the path to self-sabotage, self-destruction. MIKE will be the only victim on this path of war because it will be battled from within. When MIKE is saying he has to be the villain and mature friend he’s saying that he knows he has to go through this deep emotional suffering synonymous with villains but he's also saying that he cannot let his grief overcome him because he has to be that mature person or as he says mature “friend” for the people in his life. 

The last line I’d like to look at is his closing line,“It's separatin' livin' from the romance

Keep it rollin', 'bout to chase this liquor with a slow jam.” There's so much hidden meaning in this last line. He says “It's separatin' livin' from the romance”  This line is MIKE saying that going through life now; living, it’s no longer a fantasy, no more living through tinted glasses, MIKE has to face the real. To go further with that idea he says,“'bout to chase this liquor with a slow jam.” Saying that throughout everything he's been through he’s trapped in this cycle chasing something, anything to heal the pain.  And that's what the Bear Trap is.