Mick Jenkins and the Weight of a Conversation
One thing I've always appreciated about Mick Jenkins is his ability to put thoughts and emotions into words. From his storytelling and word choice to the patience in his delivery, there's something about the way he approaches a verse that makes you pay attention. He knows when to let a line breathe and give certain words the emphasis they deserve.
On “Words I Should Have Said,” featuring ENNY and produced by Emil, Mick puts those abilities on display through a conversation between two people navigating some difficult emotions in their relationship. What makes the exchange so compelling is how much seems to be sitting beneath the surface of what's being said.
There's a moment in Mick's verse where he talks about his father gradually fading from his memory as he gets older. It's a heavy thought on its own, but it also speaks to something bigger. Grief, trauma, and experiences from our past can affect how we love, communicate, and show up for other people, sometimes without us even recognizing it.
And that's part of what makes conversations like this so difficult. These aren't necessarily thoughts or feelings that appear overnight. They can build over time, sometimes without us fully understanding them ourselves. When you're going through something, it doesn't always feel like you're doing anything. It just feels like something you're experiencing. It's often in retrospect that we begin to understand how much those experiences have shaped us and our relationships.
Mick does a great job of capturing that emotional weight in his writing. There's a lot being unpacked in this exchange, and it's not just about what either person is saying in the moment. It's about everything that led them to this conversation in the first place.
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