Mick Jenkins, Jesse Boykins III & Noname Help Illustrate theMIND (Video)

With references to “The Rugrats,” Patti Mayonnaise (of “Doug” fame), “Recess,” and “Hey Arnold,” Mick Jenkins’ verse in “Animated Ambition” is a shoutout to ’90s kids raised on Nickelodeon and ABC’s “One Saturday Morning.” The song is the latest from Chicago, Illinois’ (by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) theMIND, an R&B artist who’s been a frequent tour mate and collaborator of Jenkins’. Also featuring Jesse Boykins III and Noname (f/k/a Noname Gypsy), this certified groove is brought to life thanks to illustrator Tristan Zammit, whose vibrant style takes on qualities of the ’90s aesthetic while matching what is an undeniably contemporary Hip-Hop/Soul hybrid.

Mick Jenkins’ Clever Lyricism Is Accentuated In A Marco Polo Remix (Audio Premiere)

Heads will recognize Noname from her collaborations with Chance the Rapper and her solo work such as “Open Apology,” and her appearance alongside Boykins makes this song part of the tremendously talented wave of artists emerging from the Windy City today. TheMIND is also a collaborator of Chance’s, although his contributions on Chance’s Coloring Book mixtape are uncredited. Nevertheless, theMIND is a noteworthy emergent voice whose inter-octave exchange with Boykins adds a particularly unique flavor to “Animated Ambition.”

Summer Camp is available for free download and streaming at theMIND’s official website.