Mick Jenkins – The Water[s] (Vinyl)

Mick Jenkins is an old soul. It seems absurd that he’s only 24. That’s not just a commentary on his technical prowess. His first foray into the hip-hop consciousness was “Martyrs”, a pitch-black meditation on violence and misogyny in Jenkins’ Chicago hip-hop scene (where he directly called out Chief Keef).

Appropriately his newest release, The Water(s), at its best, doesn’t feel like a mixtape. It feels like a solid release from an MC establishing himself as a rising power. The Water(s) is a concept mixtape, as strange as that is. As the title and album cover suggest, Jenkins’ lyrics are immersed in the symbolic meanings of water.

Jenkins leads an exploration in the mythos of water and the common themes connected with it. Jenkins’ descriptions shift from dirty bong water to sea water that chokes a drowning sailor. There’s not a true narrative here, just Jenkins diving into a strange mythos, visiting the fountain of youth, Noah’s flood, and the bottom of the Pacific. It gives Jenkins plenty of room to unspool dizzying lines.
    
2 x Vinyl, LP, Album

                Tracklist:
                Shipwrecked    4:21
        THC    1:52
        The Waters    4:14
        Healer    4:15
        Comfortable    4:16
        Vibe    4:35
        Jazz    4:20
        Black Sheep    3:18
        Drink More Water    3:12
        Canada Dry    2:51
        Who Else    3:36
        Dehydration    3:39
        514    3:56
        Martyrs    3:40
        Jerome    5:08