Over the past few years, Chicago native Mick Jenkins has made a successful lane for himself in the underground hip-hop scene, fusing spacey, lo-fi instrumentals with elements of jazz and introspective lyrics. With mellow hits like “Jazz” and “Vibe” leading his repertoire since 2014, longtime fans may have been pleasantly surprised to hear the tonal switch-up he executes on his most recent EP, “The Circus,” released under Cinematic Music Group.

Across the breezy nineteen minute runtime, Jenkins takes on a slightly harder-hitting set of instrumentals, delivering countless attitude-filled bars about the current state of the rap industry (likely the inspiration for the project’s title) and the expectations people hold him to—none of which he intends on meeting. With only seven tracks, minimal hooks, and a lone feature from Atlanta duo EarthGang, Jenkins’ flows and smooth rhyme schemes truly get a chance to shine.

The intro track, ironically titled “Same Ol,’” opens with a rusty, filtered lead that sounds rundown and sinister, much like a twisted circus after sundown. Soon after, Jenkins aims intimidating lines about his status and power at his adversaries and doubters, dropping shots such as “Couldn't hold me back if they tried, I'm six-five / Steppin' twice your stride if I marched in place.” Jenkins understands his security in his lane, and uses it as power to silence those who question his permanence. As we get closer to the hook, Jenkins sounds hungrier than ever, and his deep, growled delivery compliments the freaky instrumental extremely well.

Veteran fans get a more recognizable sound on the tracks “Carefree” and “The Light,” the latter of which features EarthGang fresh off of their successful record Mirrorland. The former sounds exactly as the title implies, with reverberated keys and atmospheric guitars laid over a super chill drum beat. However, the lyrics seem to go in a different direction. The hook sees Jenkins reminiscing on the times he actually was carefree, contrasting them with his struggles with police violence and social pressure in the verses. It makes for an interesting dynamic, even if it does revert to the sound of his earlier material.

“The Light” is an interesting track in that it seems more like an EarthGang ballad than a Mick Jenkins cut, given that the duo takes not only the hook, but also two out of the track’s three verses. Both Doctor Dot and Johnny Venus give great poetic performances on both of their respective verses, but the airy hook carries an odd rhythm that doesn’t quite stick the landing, and it comes off as clunky and awkward. Jenkins also gives a decent performance on his verse, but overall, the chorus made this track a difficult one to come back to.

Luckily, the project’s pace picks right back up with a round of three subtle bangers titled “Flaunt,” “The Fit,” and “I’m Convinced.” All three of these tracks back Jenkins’ hungry, fed-up attitude from the opener, with “I’m Convinced” and “The Fit” making a point to feature more “in-your-face” production. Even more shots are thrown, and Jenkins manages to come across sounding more angry than bitter, which is to his benefit. Furthermore, these tracks all feature immaculate flows and hooks, making them the most well-rounded songs on the project. The spoken/sung hook on “The Fit” is likely the catchiest and most charismatic on the record, with Jenkins dropping asides such as “Needed paper, I got paper, need a stapler / I got habits, I got problems, got enablers” in between his more aggressive jabs. Meanwhile, “I’m Convinced” features some of Jenkins’ best wordplay on the project, with the second verse in particular being quite striking.

The final track, titled “Different Scales,” serves less as a traditionally-structured cut and more as a closing cypher, with Jenkins exposing betrayal and people who aren’t real with him over a laid-back, nocturnal, lo-fi beat. The narrative he tells on this track is certainly loose—meaning that there isn’t necessarily a definite “story” at all—but as Jenkins bounces from one topic to another via word association, it’s just as compelling as if there was one. It’s a fitting tonal end to the record and expertly combines Jenkins’ classic sound with the more aggressive mood found throughout the rest of the EP.

All in all, “The Circus” is an interesting piece of material from Mick Jenkins, to say the least. The production is less lush than that in his previous outings, and while it is certainly an intentional push for Jenkins to sound more hostile, it’s nothing to write home about. With that said, those who come into projects primarily for the production might be turned off by the instrumentals on here; it doesn’t sound too far off from the production found on most other independent rap albums.

However, those who are looking to hear Jenkins’ technical skills and charisma on the mic will certainly have a field day here: what personality many of the beats lack, Jenkins definitely makes up for. Long time fans will love bobbing their heads to the sleek flows and unpredictable rhyme schemes Jenkins brings to the table. In addition, new fans may enjoy the more aggressive sound that Jenkins embodies and even find these tracks more accessible than his previous, jazz-fused works (proving that the more mainstream instrumentals are not entirely a bad thing).

This means that, even though this might not be the most conceptually or sonically thrilling project of the year, it serves as a great bridge between Jenkins’ older works and whatever he has planned next. Furthermore, I think there is an argument that there is something here for everyone, and if Jenkins is able to maintain this insistent and assertive on future projects, then I look forward to hearing them.

Favorite Tracks:

Same Ol’

The Fit

I’m Convinced

Rating: 7

Listen to The Circus here:

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