Mike Dean is one of hip-hop's most legendary living producers, having worked with everyone from UGK and Geto Boyz to Travis Scott and Jay-Z. Through his work in rap, Dean has also become an in-demand pop producer, collaborating with Beyoncé, The Weeknd and Selena Gomez, among others.
You might assume that Dean's trophy cabinet is full to bursting, then, and you'd be right: with a total of seven Grammy wins for projects that he's been involved with, Dean has previously taken home Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, all for his work with Kanye West.
Surprisingly, though, the producer has yet to snag an award in any of the broader categories, despite receiving Album of the Year nominations for projects such as Beyoncés Renaissance and Lemonade and a Record of the Year nod for West's Gold Digger.
All that could be about to change, however, Dean told Rolling Stone this week. For next year's awards, Dean has been submitted for 10 Grammy categories for his production work on The Weeknd's Hurry Up Tomorrow, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Rap Song of the Year for the Playboi Carti collaboration Timeless.
"I think it’s a bucket list thing every musician, artist, [and] producer has in their life," Dean admits. "After Kanye, we had a big Grammy run. I’ve had seven wins. It’s like winning the Super Bowl of music. I’ve never won an Album of the Year, Record of the Year, or Song of the Year in my life, so hopefully this year with Abel [The Weeknd], we fuckin’ smash all those records."
Despite these aspirations, Dean says he tries not to get his hopes up: "I try to have no expectations, so I’m happy when I win, especially after I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with the Grammys. I’ve won a lot and lost a lot of big ones. When Travis didn’t win [for 2018 album Astroworld] was a crazy one, but it’s not really a popularity contest – I guess it’s more about art and stuff."
After decades in the game and several Grammy wins under his belt, Dean seems admirably unbothered by awards snubs, but that wasn't always the case. Back in 2008, the producer lost out on Album of the Year for Kanye West's Graduation when the award went to Herbie Hancock for his Joni Mitchell tribute album River: The Joni Letters, a decision that prompted an explosive reaction from the producer.
"I remember I got kicked out of the Grammys one time. Whenever Herbie Hancock beat Kanye’s Graduation for Album Of The Year, I started being a dick about it," Dean recalls. "I was just like, man, 'Fuck this, blah, blah, blah,' and then people started walking backstage, and I started walking backstage without a laminate, and they were like, 'Nope.' Yeah, it was pretty funny. I was pretty drugged up back then."
Outside of awards season, Dean has been busy in the studio and on the road. He spent much of 2023 and 2024 touring with The Weeknd, playing 84 shows across 42 cities, first as an opening act and then as part of Abel Tesfaye’s main set. He also co-produced several tracks on Hurry Up Tomorrow, including The Abyss, which began as a pure improvisation between the two musicians.
"Whenever you actually sit down and write a song together, I’ll just start playing chords on the synth and you’ll start improvising and it’ll turn into a song in two, three minutes," Dean recalls. "That’s how “The Abyss” started on this album. A few of the songs started like that. That’s the magic. I’ll hit a chord and he’ll start singing and then that’ll take me to the next chord and just follow each other around like that.
Dean speaks warmly about Tesfaye’s approach in the studio. “He's the nicest guy in the world,” he says. “He’s the most patient, cool artist in the studio. Everybody else that I’ve worked with has been pretty wild with it. He’s more understanding that we’re humans and that we have lives and shit.”
Looking ahead, Dean is already plotting his next solo release, 426, scheduled for April 24, 2026. Whether Dean finally claims Album of the Year at next year's ceremony remains to be seen – nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be revealed on November 7.
