''Waves'' (stylized as ''Wave
') is the debut
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) by American rapper
Mick Jenkins. It was released on August 21, 2015, by
Cinematic Music Group
Cinematic Music Group is an American record label, management, publishing & touring company distributed by Geffen Records founded in 2007 by Jonny Shipes. Their roster as of 2020 consists of Joey Bada$$, Pro Era, T-Pain, Smoke DZA, Va$htie, Mic ...
.
Background
The
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. includes guest features from
Saba, Sean Deaux, and The Mind. The majority of the
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
was by THEMpeople, with
Kaytranada
Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...
,
Lee Bannon, Stefan Ponce and Mulatto also producing.
Critical reception
''Waves'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 77, based on nine reviews.
Paul Simpson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
stated, "His music seems a slight bit more danceable and accessible than before, but not to the point of pandering to a hedonistic club audience."
Sheldon Pearce of ''
Consequence of Sound'' stated, "The biggest difference between the two projects is that ''
The Water ' focused in on the dense raps, and ''Wave
' is far more vibe-driven, with songs ready for radio."
Samantha O'Connor of ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' stated, "''Wave
' is a clear indication that Jenkins is expanding his sound and stepping away from expectation as he prepares his debut album, ''
The Healing Component''. But in the meantime, he's established himself as an artist with even more to offer than many predicted."
Brian Duricy of ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' stated, "On ''Wave
', Mick Jenkins, whether consciously or otherwise, created a polished body of work with radio-ready potential."
David Drake of ''
Pitchfork'' stated, "It points to an artistic flexibility that will pay dividends down the road. The room to grow is there, should he decide to pursue the colors ''Wave
' has opened up for him."
Dan Weiss of ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' stated, "''Wave
' is louder, catchier, and about half the length of ''The Water
'."
Sidney Madden of ''
XXL'' stated, "Although it doesn't pan out on every track, the cohesive work allows the listener to feel that they've plunged into the depths of Mick's mind and come out with a soaked sense of clarity."
Track listing
References
{{Mick Jenkins (rapper)
2015 debut EPs
Hip hop EPs
Albums produced by Kaytranada
Albums produced by Fred Warmsley