Mick Jenkins – “or more; the frustration” – Mixtape Review

Chicago’s prolific wordsmith has been at the top of his game lately. From his breakout mixtape The Water[s] from 2014 to his debut studio album The Healing Component in the Fall 2016, Mick Jenkins has proven to be a top tier emcee in rap today. His poetically crafted lyrics, combined with a unique delivery and versatile flow, can make for comparisons to that of Jay Electronica’s rapping ability.

Since his debut album, Jenkins has been rather quiet; dropping a few songs on SoundCloud here and there. That was until he broke the silence by dropping the single Vampire in Brooklyn and soon after the project or more; the anxious back in November. Now 3 months later, Jenkins drops or more; the frustration continuing a series of solid projects.

From top to bottom, Mick is spitting some incredible verses on this tape. The first bars to the opening track tell the whole story:

Hella underrated these days, that shit the worst

Makes me think back to that Hov line

The meek shall inherit the earth

What, You was thinkin’ Mr. Carter? Nah

I been singin’ like his daughter name

Go Time – Mick Jenkins

To open the project with such a paradox is bold, yet he makes it look easy. Mick dazzles tracks like this throughout the project, showing off his impressive wordplay capabilities and double entendres. He also switches up all over the project, going from his regular flow to a slowed down, rugged delivery at some points.

Mick of course continues his run of interesting similes and double entendres, like on his track Earl Sweatshirt Type Beat, he rhymes:

Uppercuts to your grill on my George Foreman

Animals with me like I’m George Orwell

You been forewarned boy, I’m brainstorming

I’m up late, no James Quarter, no camcorders

While the bars are on-point like Jenkins always delivers, the beat selection was a bit odd. He chooses a darker, mellow selection of beats to rap over. One beat in particular that was especially different was the first half of 6AM Matinee, which has an overwhelming scratchy sample. While the rest of the beats he chose weren’t bad at all, it seems that they didn’t compliment what he was rapping to the best of their ability. However, he actually addresses this in his opening lines of Earl Sweatshirt Type Beat, saying:

I still fuck with type beats off YouTube

Like fuck the who’s who

Of the producers that you used to

May think I’m loco

This helps understand that it’s a preference of his to not use the same type of beats other rappers rhyme over.

All in all, this project, like or more; the anxious, is Mick Jenkins sharpening his lyrical swords in preparation for this sophomore studio album. From verbal assault like on Go Time and Rags, to the kick back vibes of Cry If You Want and Blessed Assurance, we can see that Jenkins is giving us the fire that wasn’t hot enough for the album. Be on alert for a potential third installment to Jenkins’ or more series or even his album, which should be dropping anytime now.

Listen to the project here on Mick Jenkins’ SoundCloud: