South Side Mc Mick Jenkins Goes Deep On New Mixtape The Water S

• Courtesy of Mick Jenkins’s Facebook page
• Mick Jenkins

On “THC,” the second song on Mick Jenkins’s brand-new The Water[s], the south-side rapper dissects his inspired mixtape concept: “Water is the most important natural component we have today. It makes up our world, our bodies. It has the ability to destroy and create. It is the healing component, THC.”

Jenkins provides much of the reason for keeping The Water[s] on repeat. Each song reveals new reasons to comb through Jenkins’s lyrics, be it his sharp, short lines about racial tension and inequality (“irritate the white skin like a blackhead” on “Drink More Water”) or his thoughtful commentary about the nature of entertainment inspired by real violence (“They callin’ me conscious, Jiminy Cricket / Unfortunate events got me writin’ like Lemony Snicket” on “Dehydration”). Jenkins’s powerful performance makes his mixtape reflect another quality of water—it feels like a life force.