The thing about MICK JENKINS is he’s never trying to fit in. The Chicago MC has his affiliations with Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa, and he could easily be mistaken for just another conscious East Coast rapper, but he’s constantly carving his own lane and with his own set of tools. That trait was the underlying highlight of his set at The Hoxton (September 1st) as he made up for previous no-shows with a lethargic headliner that could have set the roof on fire. Mainstays such as “Jazz” and “Martyrs” made appearances, but numbers such as “Social Network”, “The Waters”, and “Get Up Get Down” hit with force as Mick changed flows on the fly and leveled with the sort of intensity Tyson embodied in ’86. STWO, JSTOCK, and THE MIND were also in attendance and photographer Steve St. Jean was there to document it all. Check out his stills above and catch the entire group at a date near you.
Mick Jenkins’ new project Wave[s] is out now via Free Nation/Cinematic Music while his 2014 effort The Water[s] can be grabbed via DatPiff