In March 2022, Mike Saatchi released a song titled “i <3 boobies.” The cover art for Saatchi’s “God heals” features an image of Jesus Christ holding an enormous styrofoam cup full of prescription cough syrup. In “keep a Bible,” Saatchi sings, “God keep me insured like Geico.”
Mike Saatchi, a 24-year-old rapper, singer, and producer, has experimented with various genres of music over the course of his career to varying success. His early releases are mostly generic Soundcloud rap, while his more recent projects are more akin to experimental pop. This year, he began releasing songs that combine Christian pop and hyperpop, a unique genre he has dubbed “hypergospel.”
To most people,“hypergospel” is merely a publicity stunt; many Instagram commenters, for example, seem to find humor in Saatchi proselytizing over distorted pop instrumentals. In reality, there is no hint of irony in his dedication to his Christian message. He claims that he has been chosen by God to counteract demonic presences in the music industry—a proposition that, while abstract, may appeal to more listeners than his current Instagram following of thirteen thousand.
Saatchi spent most of his upbringing in San Ramon, California. He began rapping at the age of nine, when he performed a song under the moniker “Kid Mocha” to help promote his older brother’s automotive company. Beyond just music, Saatchi characterizes himself as an artist at heart. “I can’t not create… I need to be having an idea and then bringing it to life,” he explained in an interview with the Independent.
Saatchi has always maintained somewhat of a connection with God. “God’s been pursuing me. That seems to be a pattern in my life. My dad, he prays for me a lot. [He] wanted me to have a relationship with God, but I never found it for myself until I got older,” he said. From a young age, his father would drive him to church every Sunday, but it was a recent harrowing experience that sparked Saatchi’s desire to commit his music to God.
“There was a point where I got 5150’d,” Saatchi said, referring to the California code for a 72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold. Saatchi points to this experience as the catalyst for reinventing himself: “This is kind of what caused a huge shift in my life… and made me realize I wanted to make music for God.” Saatchi explained that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms and wanted to end his life. “I was just feeling like driving into a wall and killing myself that night,” he said. He was eventually admitted into a mental health facility in Martinez, CA.
At the facility, still reeling from the effects of the mushrooms, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, Saatchi met a man who handed him a Bible verse printed on a sheet of paper. He recounted what the man told him: “He was like, ‘You’re off mushrooms, so you see it, right? You see everything for how it is, don’t you?’”
Saatchi elaborated on his thoughts following their conversation: “There’s chemicals they put in our food that are banned in other countries because they’re so detrimental to our bodies, but they like to keep us weak. They like to keep us easy to control because it just makes it easier for us to not call them out on their BS and cause revolution.” When asked who “they” refers to, Saatchi responded, “I’m talking about the people who only care about greed and power,” and did not specify further.
Saatchi described the experience of seeing the man being denied his Bible by the employees of the facility, and explained the revelation it sparked within him. “It was a metaphor for existence itself, and the tug of war between God and the Devil,” Saatchi said. Saatchi realized that this same tug of war was present in the music industry, and told the Independent about the effects of modern musicians on young listeners.
“Let’s talk about these artists who are influencing young kids to do drugs and do demonic things and throw their lives away. Let’s talk about Playboi Carti. He didn’t pay any of his producers; that’s why he works with new producers on every project,” Saatchi said. “He has a demonic image. I think he’s evil. If you don’t care about others, that is the work of Satan.”
Saatchi, however, does not hold any ill will towards these musicians whom he sees as demonic presences in the music industry. “I got love for all artists. I got love for Playboi Carti, too. He’s a human being. We’re all sinful.”
Saatchi elaborated on his desire to release Christian music. “I think the music industry needs to not be so much about ego… I’m not going to going to tell all these kids it’s cool to nod off to drugs and kill yourself. I’m going to promote health and good things and personal growth… I’ve yet to see artists in interviews spit some real genuine love, except for Pharrell Williams… Everyone’s promoting negativity. That’s what pays the bills.”
From this desire to promote positivity to those who have been influenced negatively, “hypergospel” was born. “I wanted to appeal to a certain demographic because I feel like that demographic doesn’t necessarily talk about God… I want to tell people, ‘Your friends might do drugs but you don’t have to do drugs… You can have a relationship with Jesus, and still be cool and still dress the way you want to dress…’ I’ve been making hyperpop-type music. I started having a relationship with God. I combined two things that were real to me. My music is a reflection of myself,” he explained.
The cover art for Saatchi’s latest album, titled chosen, features a cartoon image of himself pinned to a cross. Above the cross, “chosen” is written in Hebrew. When asked about controversies regarding the depiction of himself on the cross, Saatchi replied, “Everyone connects [the cross] with Christ, but also, it’s like a metaphor for dying on the cross with Christ, because when you do give your life to Christ, what happens is you’re born again… It’s a metaphor for me changing and evolving and growing and getting closer to God and becoming more like Jesus… It’s me saying I aspire to be like Jesus.”
In “is God real ?”, the third track from chosen, Saatchi sings, “I know you want me to slay demons with your sword.” Saatchi believes hypergospel is part of God’s plan for him. “God’s telling me to do this stuff. Like I said, I’m not forcing any of this. God has a plan for me and what he wants me to do and how he wants me to—I don’t know if I’m going to say change the world because that’s a lot of pressure but—influence the world in a positive way,” he said.
With his new album, Saatchi hopes to draw fans into a world of positivity. Highlights include “savior,” featuring Young4n and “john the baptist.” But beyond just the music, if there is one message Saatchi hopes to impart on his listeners through chosen, it is this: “God won’t give you more than you can handle. God will give you exactly what you need to get where you need to go. And have faith. Trust in God. Keep God close to you, and trust in God’s plan. God’s plan is better than the plan you have for yourself.”
Matt Sakiyama ’25 (msakiyama@college.harvard.edu) writes Arts for the Independent.
Art from Album Cover: @4.acid on Instagram