Michael May -- aka Meidai -- is a hip-hop MC who launched his label Off Da Wall MusiQ in January 2006. "My hip-hop alias Meidai, pronounced Mayday, means a very strong individual in Greek," he says. "It's also a three-headed horse ram dragon."
A full-length called Death Before Dishonor was released in 2011. "My best show was 2013. I had the flu, but I was also the headliner, and I still went on stage and rocked out. The entire place was packed people screaming my name, I'll never forget that moment. My worst show was at Across the Street at Mueller College. The soundman was drunk, there was about twenty people there, and it was an all around bad vibe."
He recalled another troubled performance at Queen Bee's in North Park. "Somehow I was booked to perform at a rock-country show, which I had no issue with, but I was set to perform last and, by the time I hit the stage, there was three people left in the crowd. Which for any artist is a downer. I still performed my scheduled set and didn't allow what had happened to affect me. The ones that stayed gave me lots of love in the end, and I used that experience to my advantage by incorporating different genres in my music."
His Legendary album was released in summer 2014, featuring guest contributions from L.E., Nina Beretta, Young Tk, Nahledge, and Katja Glieson.
"It's not confined to just one style," he told the Reader. "It's hip-hop, R&B, soul music, rock, country, and very much orchestral. What the title means is anyone can be a legend in their own right. You don't need someone else's opinion to dictate what is or isn't legendary, or who is a legend. I touch on topics such as the Illuminati, the government, and my life experiences, so this album to me is different from what other hip-hop artists are doing. I'm putting everything on the line with this release, my heart my soul, everything from the production to the lyrics."
"A lot of people will be able to relate to me."
A new album called Emdotmay was released in 2015, followed by Poetry Musiq in 2016. "Legendary was more political based, Emdotmay was personal about my life, and Poetry Musiq is me evolving," he told the Reader.
2018 saw an EP release, I Scare Myself. The following year, he put out Professionally Unprofessional 2, while a full-length called Rashad came out in February 2020.
A new 12-track full-length, Project L.S.D., was recorded from March through October 2020 at local Off Da Wall Studios. Guests include Big June, None Illa, Cashis, and the late Ryan Bowers, who was shot by police during a 2019 suicide attempt and who did kill himself earlier in 2020.
November 2021 saw the release of a new EP called Cleared IV Takeoff. An album called Michael dropped April 4, 2022. A new record dropped in August 2022, I'm Not the Bad Guy, while his Off Da Wall Compilation, was released that September. May 2023 saw the release of Who Needs Therapy.
Maybe It's Me was released in 2024.