Mick Jenkins: Pieces of a Man Album Review
Twenty-seven-year-old Chicago rapper, Mick Jenkins, has come out of hiding and released his second studio album Pieces of a Man. From his last album in 2016, The Healing Component, the album solely talks about the meaning and feeling of love. Over the two-year period, Jenkins has taken some time to grow and create something that gives fans an insight about himself.
The album features Ghostface Killah, Corinne Bailey and producers such as Kaytranada and BADBADNOTGOOD. On the project, Jenkins gives us some lyrical food for thought as his emotions splurge out by setting the mood through the hip hop and jazz instrumentals. His album cover speaks for itself, which is Jenkins picking up pieces of glass off the ground. He is picking up the pieces of himself and putting it back together for us to see through the cracks that shape his inner thoughts.
Alabama native whose actual name is Jayson Jenkins started his career with a group called Free Nations. Free Nations is a hip-hop group that “promotes the creative thought without accepting narrow views imposed by the powers that be.” He then went and debuted two solo albums, showing us just how great of a poetic musician he really is.
Pieces of a Man is an album that stresses society, technology and privacy. The beats throughout the album were projected from Jenkins' emotions, as he switches up his tone through each song, that ranged from a jazzy slow tempo or hip hop trap. He starts off his album with the song “Heron Flow,” where Jenkins is in front of an audience introducing himself and his group and begins to talk about how technology has ruined the way of traditional communication and how people are losing their control.
In songs like “Padded Lock” and “Consensual Seduction,” Kaytranada’s funky beats play through the hip hop flow as Jenkins talks about how people are so indulged in wanting fame and how people are judgmental through what they hear and see online. Jenkins is not the type of person who likes to be in the spotlight to have all his business known. So, when he comes around to give us music, fans cannot say they are not excited.
Privacy comes into play in the song “Ghost”, giving fans an insight on Jenkins' low profile. He clarifies that he is always working on new music and stays focused on his relationships.
Jenkins made the right decision when taking the time to release this new album. It shows the inner craft of a true artist who wants to give his fans from start to finish, himself and what he is about. Showing his poetic and rap side, the lyrics were well written, along with the beats and instruments. The instrumentals were essential for this album because you really felt Mick Jenkins emotions as they connected with his lyrics, letting his fans really feel what he feels.
One thing that could have made this album better were more features. Ghostface Killah is a legend in the rap game, but for Jenkins having a lot of attention from his last album, it would have been nice to introduce more artists similar to him. Although the beats were a great way to express the emotions for each song, it was not captivating enough to have the album on replay.
Rating: 6/10
Rachel Miloscia is a junior majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email her at rmiloscia34@gmail.com.
