When did Mike Dean work with Kanye West? Record producer's comment on TikTok video of rapper's storage unit unboxing goes viral

Record producer Mike Dean, known for his groundbreaking work with some of the biggest names in the music industry, has sparked widespread interest following a viral TikTok comment.

On August 7, 2024, Locker Blocker, a storage hunter team, shared videos on TikTok and other social media accounts, claiming to purchase one of Ye's storage boxes in an auction. The videos featuring the unboxing of Kanye West's storage unit have captured the internet's attention, and a comment from producer Mike Dean has added fuel to the fire.

"Any Mike Dean cases [in] there? This is my stuff," he asked.

Dean commented under Ye's storage unit (Image via TikTok/@lockerblocker20)

The brief yet impactful comment has sparked widespread curiosity about Dean's history with West, prompting fans to revisit the iconic collaborations that shaped the music industry. Dean started working with Kanye West in the 2000s.

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Mike Dean & Kanye West: A timeline of their collaborations

According to New Musical Express, Michael George Dean began his collaboration with Kanye West in 2004, contributing to the track Two Words on West's debut album, The College Dropout. The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards 2005.

Mike Dean also mixed five of the 19 songs on Kanye West's 2005 album Late Registration, which won the Best Rap Album award at the 2006 Grammy Awards. The duo later collaborated on Graduation 2007, where Dean worked as a producer.

Moreover, in 2008, Dean was involved in developing 808's And Heartbreaks album. However, he was not credited with it but did significant work on it. Following the seven albums of Ye, Mike Dean was credited on every album, including My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus, The Life of Pablo, and Ye.

The producer was credited with both production and writing credits on The Life of Pablo 2016 and Ye 2018.

Mike Dean worked solely for Kanye West and played a significant role in Ye's collaborative long plays with Jay-Z in 2011 for Watch The Throne and Kid Cudi for Kids See Ghosts in 2018.

During his career, Dean has worked with several other artists as a producer and mixing LPs, including Travis Scott, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Ty Dolla $ign, 2 Chainz, Migos, Pusha T, Christina Aguilera, Nas, Madonna, Smokepurpp, Gorillaz, and more.

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Mike Dean's response to rapper's storage unit unboxing TikTok goes viral

On Wednesday, Locker Blocker shared recorded footage from a live TikTok stream of an unboxing video of Yeezy's possessions from a storage unit on which Dean commented, inquiring about his stuff in the storage unit, which gained attention. The page replied —

"No. only 2 cases are shown videos."

Moreover, the page later shared live streams on its social media accounts, including Instagram. The first video showcases a huge briefcase with "KANYE WEST SETH KENDALL" written on it, with many envelopes containing gear and other accessories.

Another box in the same video was labeled "Hollywood Bowl Performance Costume," featuring Ye's all-white tunic dress, which he wore when he opened his performance of the album 808s & Heartbreak at Hollywood Bowl 2015.

The other boxes from part one featured DNC Hope Fund Performance Costumes, earphones, a mic, a custom Yeezy hood, handwritten notebooks, and some masks. The page captioned the video as —

"WE BOUGHT A STORAGE LOCKER WITH CELEBRITY STATUS! 😳😳," on Instagram.

The second part, shared on Instagram, features a whole bunch of worn and pre-production clothing of Kanye West, several musical instruments, including the one used for music recording, handwritten costumes and outfit designs, a Ye's Vultures album-inspired T-shirt that supposedly looks pre-designed, branded clothing, Yeezy's television, ponchos, and many more clothing items.

"KANYE FOUND IN STORAGE LOCKER! 😳," part two was captioned as.

The storage hunter team has not disclosed the amount paid for the storage unit or provided specific details to confirm its authenticity. However, based on its contents, it appears genuine and legitimate. Kanye West has not yet commented on the matter.