Releasing the album ‘The Healing Component’ late September, Mick Jenkins didn’t allow any of the hype to die down as he performed at the Village Underground the following month as part of his ‘Quest For Love’ tour. The 25 year old, who describes himself as a ‘neo-soul’ and ‘conscious’ rapper has minimal interest topping the charts, which allowed him the freedom to create an album of an unapologetic social commentary blended with classic hip-hop beats.

Instantaneously, Mick Jenkin’s proved he was eager to please the London crowd by entering chanting the chorus of Skepta’s ‘It ain’t safe’. This really got the audience fired up as it seemed that the rapper had already made a real effort for this UK performance. The venue (The Village Underground) worked in the rapper’s favour as the cavernous layout created a huge sound to really get the audience vibing.

In fact, high energy is what really characterised this performance. Mick Jenkins bounced with the audience, jumping across the stage when delivering his bars that are filled with clever wordplay. His live drummer, was an amazing addition to the night, having the ability to build and sustain energy even in the slower-paced tracks such as ‘Jazz’ (featured on album ‘The Waters’). Some would assume that this chilled song would not fit when performing to a high energy crowd but it was surprisingly, one of the many highlights of the night.

This energy continued to grow as the night featured the appearance of record producer and rapper Kirk Knight as well as Mick Jenkins’ increasing interaction with the audience which made the night a memorable one. The Rapper’s ability to sustain such a high energy, for such a long duration of time, proves just how Mick Jenkins is more than worthy of his musical success.

Felixe Forde