The Circus

Among the veritable groundswell of next-level talent to emerge from Chicago in the 2010s, Mick Jenkins rises to the occasion for his first project of the 2020s. Teeming with the same jazz-inflected beats and contemporary bass booms fans have come to expect since 2015’s Wave[s], this EP-length effort welcomes children of all ages to witness this hip-hop wonder. As heads bop and speakers rattle, he speaks in soliloquies and counterpoints with ferocious wit on cuts like “Carefree” and “The Fit.” The Dreamville duo EARTHGANG adds their singular charms to “The Light,” but otherwise The Circus runs entirely on Jenkins’ energy.