At the start of Mick Jenkins’ debut album, the 25-year-old Chicago-based rapper presents one question.
“You wanna know about the healing component?”
The healing component is a concept that has existed since the release of Jenkins’ critically acclaimed 2014 mixtape “The Water[s].” The mixtape introduced him in to the rap game as the unapologetic voice of the struggle, while encouraging listeners to “drink more water,” representative of many things, but primarily the truth. Jenkins utilized his poetic pen to expose the oppression against his people and highlighting the hypocrisies and paradoxes that exist within his hometown by his own people.
Two years later, Jenkins returns with his debut album “The Healing Component” and an evolved message which he mentions in “Strange Love.”
“Gotta speak in allegory, spread love the new mantra it’s the healing component, it’s the healing component,” Jenkins quips.
“The Healing Component” sees Jenkins team up with his frequent collaborators, theMIND, Noname, THEMpeople and Kaytranada along with new players like the Canada-based hip-hop jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD in the Eric Garner-inspired single “Drowning.”
As he utters Eric Garner’s last words “I can’t breathe” throughout, this track adds another dimension to Jenkins’ ever-expanding metaphor for water which has previously taken form as truth, purity and violence. In “Drowning” Jenkins once again uses his water bending skills to make it take the form of oppression.
“The Healing Component” is timely, released two months after the police killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota in July. This almost mirrors the timing of “The Water[s]” release on August 12, 2014, almost a month after a police officer strangled Eric Garner to death in Staten Island, New York and three days after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Both pairs of police killings saw all involved police officers acquitted, causing a peak in racial tensions and a movement be born to combat this injustice. Jenkins joins the likes of emcees J. Cole, Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar who have turned their pens into swords to join the ongoing battle.
While his Chicago counterpart, Chance the Rapper, had a message deep-rooted in religion on “Coloring Book,” Jenkins is purely emotional, with love serving as the underlying theme and concept. This allows Jenkins to explore the various perspectives of the emotion, similar to his creation of different metaphors for water. Despite the theme of love, Jenkins does not get too mushy, still possessing his aggression in tracks like “Daniel’s Bloom” and “Plugged.”
There is a level of maturation and evolution in Jenkins music, he seems to get better with new release, with his strongest attribute being his unparalleled lyricism in this realm, as every line holds bearing and a deeper meaning. Jenkins does not shy away from the wordplay instead, opting to up the ante.
“Underwater tryna breathe for myself, going deep so the pressure is massive/Really tryna be a saint, but I ain’t Drew Brees I never been that passive,” Jenkins raps on the song “Strange Love.”
The album’s concept only strengthens the deeper one goes, with the music adapting on tracks like “Communication” and “Angles” as Mick raps up his statement, but leaves his listeners with the responsibility of discovering their healing component.
In the end, Jenkins debuts as only he can, inspiring his listeners to drink more water and spread love. Jenkins is one of the many faces in rap utilizing his unique and impressive talents to take incredible leaps of creativity while looking to inspire more rappers to either do the same or better. He also inspires listeners to leave with some form of philosophy, which he expresses in the album’s lead single “Spread Love.”
“And they be asking, ‘what do love got to do with the point?’ It’s the soothe in your water, it’s the truth in your joint/ All that gold is overrated, what do you do with your coin?/ We gon’ try to spread some love with it.”
