‘The Idol’ Blurs the Lines of Reality Once More Casting Mike Dean as Himself

The thin walls between fiction and reality got even blurrier on this week’s installment of HBO‘s The Idol. Troye Sivan finally got to sing, Jennie Ruby Jane‘s character scored a life-changing record deal, and real life producer Mike Dean — note: not the Beastie Boys member Mike D — shows up to play himself. Tedros Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) is obviously besides himself to score the famous hip hop record producer, songwriter, and virtuosic musician, but who exactly is Mike Dean? Well, he’s actually the genius behind so many of your favorite hits and albums of the past few decades.

The Idol was co-created by Sam Levinson, The Weeknd, and Reza Fahim and follows the twisted relationship between a troubled pop star named Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) and her new boyfriend/manager Tedros. When we first meet Jocelyn, she is struggling with the pressure of mounting a major comeback after suffering a public meltdown brought on by the death of her abusive mother. Tedros sees a way into Jocelyn’s vaunted world by manipulating her and Jocelyn, it seems, sees Tedros as a means of an end to land on an iconic new sound. In the scripts, written by Levinson, off of stories conceived by him and The Weeknd (and with the help of a writing staff that includes Levinson assistant-turned-collaborator Marlis Yurcisin, journalist/screenwriter Nick Bilton, and Savage Grace screenwriter Howard A. Rodman), we see the push-and-pull of power within Joss and Tedros’s relationship. Moreover, we see parallels between Tedros’s cult and the music industry writ large.

Mike Dean’s appearance as himself is yet another example of how The Idol likes to blur the edges of reality onscreen. But who exactly is Mike Dean? And what music has he made? Here’s everything you need to know about Mike Dean on The Idol...

Who is Mike Dean? The Record Producer Who Works With Jocelyn in The Idol?

Mike Dean is a renowned music producer most famous for his work with Kanye West and for pioneering the “Dirty South” sound in ’90s hiphop. Dean was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where he crossed paths early in his career with Tejano superstar Selena. However he would go on to make a name for himself producing tracks with rappers at Rap-A-Lot Records.

In the ’00s, Mike Dean became known for his work collaborating with the aforementioned Kanye West, with whom he would work on everything from The College Dropout to 808s and Heartbreak to the Jay-Z collab Watch the Throne. Dean has also produced for Beyoncé, Kid Cudi, Migos, Madonna, Lana del Rey, and of course…the Weeknd.

In HBO’s official post-episode breakdown, Sam Levinson explains that he always considered Mike Dean to be a musical genius, but realized after meeting him that he was also hilarious. Hence, why he was asked to play himself on the show. But that’s not the limit of Dean’s contributions to The Idol. In addition to producing tracks for the official soundtrack, Mike Dean composed the main theme on vintage synthesizers, chosen to tap into the show’s horror and erotic thriller influences.

So whether you’re listening to Kanye West or the haunting main melody of The Idol...you’re listening to Mike Dean.