Chicago's Mick Jenkins is a really good rapper. He is an increasingly popular rapper, too, and one thing about being increasingly popular is that more and more people want a slice of your time. And time, they say, is money.That's the gist of the hook of his new song "Time," the latest cut from an upcoming Chicago rap compilation called Chicago Sights 'N Sounds that's being put together by local creative collectives The FDC and 119 Productions. But it's also maybe the least interesting observation from Mick, who, once again, is a really good rapper and also a really smart guy. He makes a couple stabs at the pressure society puts on young people: "Why we can't co-opt and disarm minds before they blow up?" he asks, before adding "see we all just victims / of trying to stay straight in the system." But his best line adds in a note of personal specificity that both questions The System and doubles as a sly rap brag. "Better know that I dropped out of college and spoke at DePaul," he raps, college dropout turned college guest lecturer.Backed up with his usual intricate lyricism, a charmingly brash sing-song hook, and an immersive beat from OnGaud, "Time" is a good reminder of why Mick deserves to be at the front of the classroom.The FDC's Kyle Garcia describes Chicago Sights 'N Sounds, or C.S.S., as "one part mixtape, another part visual and multimedia experience" designed to overcome the city's reputation as a place that doesn't encourage creative collaboration. The project is coming soon, and it also features artists such as Saba, Ibn Inglor, Jarred AG, The O'My's, Kami De Chukwu, Lucki Eck$, and other luminaries from Chicago's vibrant underground. As part of the project, the organizers also helped raise money for the students of local hip-hop non-profit Kuumba Lynx to participate in poetry event Brave New Voices. Garcia added that "Chicago will be the City that creativity revolutionizes the world, and we will do it together."Check out "Time" below:
Advertisement
Follow Kyle Kramer on Twitter.