Mick Jenkins Announces A New EP And Discusses The Creative ‘Frustration’ He Dealt With Throughout 2017

Mick Jenkins is releasing an 8-track or more…the frustration project in a “day or 2 or 3 or more.” The EP is a follow-up to November’s or more; the anxious, which was the first part of an EP series that sheds light on his creative process. Amidst the constant demands of the new hip-hop climate, it’s refreshing to see an artist ignore the zeitgeist and take some time to collect themselves. That’s exactly what Mick Jenkins managed to do last year. Mick said in a Twitter thread that 2017 was a “year of getting it together for me.” He said that “[I] guess the frustration of it all definitely leads to new creative discoveries,” but hinted that he was suffering from a writer’s block throughout 2017.

“It’s not a matter of rushing,” he said in another tweet. “More just understanding that things aren’t the way you thought they were. Taking that from life and applying it to the *business of creativity. As opposed to just being a creative.” He also lamented “muhf*ckas” who tried to keep him in his place and “tell you who you not better than.”

His tweet thread was an honest insight into the stress that artists often go through in the tug of war between their artistry and the music business. We often think that young artists should be optimized for the modern industry, where flooding the internet has been the default strategy since before they picked up a mic. But there’s also artists like Kendrick Lamar and Joey Badass, who take more time in between projects to get it right. This talented artist seems to be of their ilk, but at least we don’t have long to wait for the new EP – and his upcoming album. The frustration from his fans will soon be over.