Many of the records are upbeat and filled with melody – some even showing off Mick’s crooning capabilities. Bet you didn’t know he could sing, huh? Well, get ready to experience that on Wave[s]. The project is still a month or so away from being released, but the preliminary track list looks to be about 10 songs deep. Short, sweet and to the point. Uppercuts and haymakers.
Longtime collaborator Saba pops up a couple of times (“Slumber”), as does the super-talented Stefan Ponce, who gives Mick an upbeat party starter with “Get Up.” The Hurt Everybody crew has two solid appearances (“Patience” and “Perception”), which is sure to raise their steady-growing profile even higher.
All of the aforementioned collaborators have dialed in to give Mick exactly what he needs right now — without straying too far from his tried and true formula. But one frequent Jenkins collaborator hit the nail on the head twice on Wave[s] and that’s Canadian wunderkind, Kaytranada, who laces Mick with two of the best joints on the album. No debate. The first is the infectious “Your Love,” which if marketed and promoted correctly, could be THE crossover record for Mick. The one that pushes him over the edge and into the big leagues for good. But Kay isn’t just giving Mick pop hits, he also laced him with the most traditional “hip-hop” sounding joint on Wave[s], the lyrical exercise tentatively titled “P’s & Q’s.” You want those Mick Jenkins bars? Well this is the knockout blow. Seriously. This joint is rewind time.
We don’t want to reveal everything here, but just know it’s going to be another winner – one to help his name ring out even louder than it already is. The best news, however, is that he also has two more projects in the works, neither of which we can discuss at this point (sorry, we were sworn to secrecy. Ha!)
But we’ll just go ahead and say “we told you so,” once Wave[s] crashes down on us in late Spring. The tide is changing. Get a life vest.