For those unfamiliar with Mick Jenkins, he’s a rapper hailing from the south side of Chicago, IL. I found out about him around 2015 or ‘16 when my homie Tristan showed me his track “Martyrs” and I immediately got hooked. I loved it so much that Tristan and I even dropped a remix. A lot of his music has a soulful flavor to it, incorporating soul samples what seems like more often than not. Since I was introduced to him, he’s kept his foot on the gas, adding seven projects and a slew of singles to his repertoire.
Mick originally dropped a snippet of this track on his Instagram over a year ago, and I’ve gotten accustomed to hearing insane snippets that never get released, so I’d almost lost hope. You can only listen to an Instagram snippet so much before you start considering sending an angry fan email. Thankfully, I saw a clip of the music video come up on my Twitter feed in early October and legit jumped up from excitement. The beat’s got a very eerie, almost extraterrestrial vibe to it, with Mick switching flows like it’s a bad habit as usual. I’d already known the hook and the first verse word for word and the second’s just as good, with the visuals leaving nothing to be desired, either.
Mick made this the second single off his latest album Elephant in the Room, the first being his track “Truffles,” which is another banger. Every single track on this album slaps, with some of my other favorites being “The Valley of the Shadow of Death,” “Reflection,” and “Rug Burn.” Each track bleeds into the next effortlessly, something I feel’s missing from many mainstream albums these days.
Mick’s already dropped another single since the album’s release, so I’m sure he’s got more heat tucked away for us. If there’s one thing Mick’s known for, it’s definitely feeding the streets. Make sure to keep an eye on him for future releases, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
This review was originally supposed to be published in the Winter 2022 issue of The World Socialist, but I never finished making that issue, because I got burnt out.