Jenkins pens an ode to the right-hand man, the number-two, the trusty sidekick

 Just one week ahead of his forthcoming album, Elephant In The Room, rapper Mick Jenkins has blessed us with a new single, "Scottie Pippen."

Where most rappers have chosen to reference the leader of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, Pippen's teammate and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, Jenkins pays homage to the best #2 in NBA history.

With quick strings and perfectly slowed drums driving an eery instrumental, Jenkins juggles the emotions of trying to get through life alone, and the impossible task of reaching the mountaintop without any help. 

"I was trippin'," Jenkins croons. "No matter how I shoot, I'll never win it all // On my own, without you." 

Bouncing between a laid-back but matter-of-fact sung chorus and verses that cut through the song's foggy instrumental, Jenkins comes through with a poignant record pointing to the importance of having somebody ready to ride or die in your corner. Despite the walls between Jenkins and his "Scottie Pippen," the Chicago rapper never loses sight of the role they play in his life and paints a perfect picture of those complicated dynamics from start to finish. 

Quotable Lyrics

That’s not to say we didn’t roll a dice over here

Scratchin’ our head, it wasn’t no lice

Just real life committed to her, all of her vices would clear

She committed to me despite the advices we heard

We thought it was sweet, it’s not over wives over here

Feel like a mail bird, a pepper dice for a year

Still we throwin’ rights over here

We both have walls up so high

Reachin’ new heights over here

Check out Mick Jenkins' "Scottie Pippen" below and let us know what you think in the comments.