Celebrating a fan-favorite era that blended hip-hop grit, genre-bending creativity, and Mike’s return to his roots ✈⏰
Today marks the 14th anniversary of The Layover, the mixtape that reminded fans exactly where Mike Posner came from and why he became such a creative and compelling force in music. Released on November 20, 2011, and hosted by DJ Benzi and Don Cannon, the project arrived at a moment when Mike was exploring new directions and reconnecting with the mixtape world that helped launch his career.
Looking back in a 2011 interview with MTV, Mike reflected on how essential mixtapes were to his beginnings. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that I came up doing mixtapes,” he explained, emphasizing that his earliest work—including the version of “Cooler Than Me” that eventually became a hit—was created in his college dorm room. “My first mixtape was with [DJ Don] Cannon that I made in my dorm room when I was a student at Duke, and ‘Cooler Than Me’ was a song on that mixtape that I recorded in my dorm room.”
For Mike, The Layover was more than a side project; it was a deliberate return to what shaped him as an artist. “It is incredibly important for me to reach back to my roots, and kind of do what I came up doing again,” he said.
The Layover showcased Mike’s versatility through an impressive lineup of collaborators including Bun B, Big K.R.I.T., Machine Gun Kelly, Twista, Big Sean, Blackbear, Slim Thug, Bei Maejor, Cyhi The Prynce, Rusko, Elzhi, Dusty McFly, Casey Veggies, Michael Franti, and RJD2. The mixtape blended original material with bold reinterpretations of well-known songs, allowing Mike to experiment freely with hip-hop, pop, rock, and electronic influences.
In describing his creative approach at the time, Mike explained that he wanted to simplify and tap into the energy that defined his early work. “I really took it back to the basics with this tape,” he said. He also highlighted the collaborative spirit behind the project. “I brought Cannon back in, Big Sean’s on the tape, Big K.R.I.T.’s on the tape, and I’m doing the remixes of songs and kind of like hip-hop-ifying classic non-hip-hop songs.”
That genre-blending approach is part of what makes The Layover so memorable. Mike’s reinterpretation of Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” reimagined as “High Like Me,” added pulsating synths and a new verse from Bun B, while his atmospheric take on Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” reimagined as “The One That Saves Me” featuring Big K.R.I.T., demonstrated just how skillfully he could reshape iconic songs into something entirely his own.
This era also included two standout music videos—“Wonderwall” and “A Perfect Mess”—which captured the moody, introspective aesthetic of the mixtape. Even today, the visuals continue to offer a nostalgic glimpse into Mike’s evolution as an artist.
Fourteen years later, The Layover remains a defining moment in Mike Posner’s discography. It represents a return to his origins, a bold fusion of sounds and influences, and a chapter of creative freedom that still resonates with fans. The mixtape also teased what was coming next, including the early snippet of “Looks Like Sex,” which later became a full single accompanied by a music video.