Viewers were shocked when they saw Mike Dean appear in episode four of The Idol, titled ‘Stars Belong to the World.’ In the show, Jocelyn had met Dean before “at the Grammys” but didn’t interact until this moment in the episode. He was invited to help this young pop star produce her next song “Fill the Void.”
While in the show, he’s seen as a talented music producer, he’s actually a huge deal in the music industry. So much so that fans were shocked to see this Dean being acquainted with someone as sleazy as Tedros. So who is Mike Dean, and why was he such a big deal to fans when he appeared in the show?
Who is Mike Dean?
Mike Dean is a hip-hop record producer and multi-instrumentalist from Houston, Texas. He has been producing music since 1983 and continues his work to this day. Some of the artists he has worked with are Kanye West, Jay-Z, Madonna, and Beyoncé, just to name a few. Alongside his work with Kanye, Dean has also been working with The Weeknd since 2022. His first work with the artist was a remix of the song “Starry Eyes,” and he later worked on the song and The Idol single “Popular,” featuring The Weeknd, Madonna, and Playboi Carti.
His work has earned him numerous Grammy nominations and wins. He won Best Rap Album in 2012 for his work on Kanye’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and was nominated in 2022 for his work on Donda. He was also the producer for the Grammy-nominated “Album of the Year,” Lemonade by Beyoncé.
Aside from his work with A-list musicians, he has recently released his debut album, 4:20, filled with psychedelic and electronic instrumentation. He is also the music composer for the music featured in the HBO series, The Idol, so it makes sense why he appeared in the show.
If you want to listen to his music, his discography is available for streaming on Spotify and other music streaming platforms. Meanwhile, his cameo appearance in The Idol is now available for streaming on Max.