Mick Jenkins
Alabama-born, Chicago-raised rapper and poet known for conscious, water-themed writing, the 2014 mixtape “The Water[s]” and albums including “The Healing Component” and “The Patience.”
From Huntsville to Chicago
Jayson Andrew Jenkins was born on April 16, 1991, in Huntsville, Alabama, and moved to Chicago at age nine after his parents divorced, growing up on the South Side. He later attended Oakwood University in Huntsville, where he began taking music seriously before leaving school.
Mixtape rise
Jenkins started releasing mixtapes online in 2012 with “The Mickstape” and “The Pursuit of HappyNess.” “Trees & Truths” (2013) raised his profile in Chicago’s rap scene, and that year he joined Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa on “Cross Roads.” His August 2014 mixtape “The Water[s],” built around water as a metaphor for truth, brought national attention and a tour slot supporting Method Man, Redman and Cypress Hill. The EP “Wave[s]” followed in 2015.
Cinematic albums
After signing with Cinematic Music Group, Jenkins released his debut studio album “The Healing Component” in 2016; it debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and peaked at No. 110 on the Billboard 200. The EP “Or More; The Anxious” (2017) preceded his second album, “Pieces of a Man” (2018), and the EP “The Circus” followed in 2020.
Independent era
“Elephant in the Room” arrived in 2021. “The Patience” (August 2023), released through RBC Records and BMG with guests Freddie Gibbs, Benny the Butcher, JID and Vic Mensa, received a Metacritic score of 86. He issued the EP “type shit” in January 2025, and later that year released “A Murder of Crows,” a full-length collaboration with producer Emil.
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