The last few years have been an interesting journey to say the least for Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins. After breaking out with 2014’s The Water(s) he tested out a label situation and the resulting process of leaving. With all that in the rearview, he’s seemed to return to being himself, finding his artistry more fully and generally stretching out his creativity. While he builds towards his follow up full-length, Mick’s been steadily releasing new music posited as a sort of mental cleansing on wax. His latest, or more; the frustration, is a welcome complement to last month’s or more; the anxious and similarly reflects the subject matter of the title.
Its always fun to see an artist settle comfortably into themselves following a period that might have thrown some obstacles their way and for his part, Jenkins seems to be seriously enjoying himself. He describes the series of EPs on his Soundcloud page as, “a project series involving musical ideas and concepts that are currently inspiring the album’s creation process. Carving out the better version of the good thing you have before you is an understated part of that process, chocked full of its own setbacks and speed bumps. I highlights these frustrations as an exhibit, or exploration, of some of the smaller waves in my pool of thoughts.” As a writer I’ve always believed in writing off the rust before diving into a big piece and it seems that, with these releases, Jenkins is opening up his creative self to make the final product something truly special. The fact that he’s already released some of my favorite singles of 2018 thus far should be telling moving forward. Check it out above and, of course, on Mild Sauce Radio.