The Patience

Mick Jenkins announced the album on July 7, 2023.^[1][2] On the same day, he released the album's lead single, "Smoke Break-Dance" featuring American rapper JID, alongside a music video.^[3][4] On July 28, 2023, Jenkins announced the album's tracklist, alongside the album's second single, "Guapanese."^[5][6][7] The album released on August 18, 2023.^[8][9]

In October 2023, Jenkins announced the "Thank You for Waiting Tour" with Canadian rapper TOBi in support of the album. The tour began on January 19, 2024 in Chicago and ends on March 6, 2024 in Leeds.^[10][11] The deluxe version of the album released on January 19, 2024.^[12][13]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Patience received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from 4 critic scores.^[14]

Writing for Beats per Minute, Steve Forstneger praised the album's production as "a familiar mixture of soulful jazz, jazzy soul, and beats that range from distorted snares to spartan R&B."^[15] Alec Siegel of HipHopDX praised Jenkins' writing and delivery on the album, stating: "Jenkins plows through the album with rabid intensity, allowing his delivery to do most of the talking. His writing is crisp and to the point, but it’s his voice – the captivating vigor – that dominates each track."^[16] Sheldon Pearce of NPR Music described the album as "a controlled but emphatic album constantly evaluating the measures of his artistry and its place in his development as a person."^[19] The Line of Best Fit's Steven Loftin praised the album as a "classy combination" of jazz instrumentals with Jenkins' "pent up thoughts on everything from the state of rap to racial injustice."^[20] Writing for BrooklynVegan, Andrew Sacher praised Jenkins' performance on the album, writing: "As ever, he’s a masterful rhymer, an out-of-the-box thinker, and he has an ear for melody. On The Patience, he applies those familiar tricks in new settings and proves to be more versatile than ever."^[21] KTSW's Thomas Stevens concludes his review writing: "Jenkins delivers on every song with finesse and with almost zero words wasted." ^[22] Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! described Jenkins' delivery on the album as "his most urgent in recent memory" and that it drives "determined observations on money, clout, authenticity, resilience and ways of coping with the highs and lows."^[23]