Mindful (song)

"Mindful" was written and produced by American rapper T-Pain, who also worked as a synthesizer programmer for the song. Chris Athens served as the mastering engineer and Eric Cire acted as the vocal producer. The track was recorded by Thomas Burroughs and mixed by Kevin "KD" Davis. Background vocals were provided by Goldie, Sha Sha Jones, Sam Salter, Joi Campbell, Eric Dawkins, and Eric Cire.[1]

"Mindful" was released on February 19, 2016, as a promotional single from Michelle's third studio album More Issues Than Vogue (2016) by Atlantic Records;[2][3] it is also the album's opening track.[4][5] The contains a "funky guitar line" in its instrumentation.[6] Delenda Joseph of Uproxx identified the composition as incorporating elements of funk,[7] while Idolator's Mike Wass said the single is composed over "slick, hip hop beats".[3]

Throughout the uptempo two-minute song,[4][8] Michelle raps about her critics and warns them to avoid further confrontation with her.[9] A writer from Vibe described Michelle's rapping style as "fiery".[9] The song's lyrics include: "Don't be sorry, be mindful, hoe" and “Tell that bitch to move back!”[5][10] She advises her enemies to be cautious around her through the verse; "Who the fuck told y’all hoes to open up? Cut. That’s enough!".[3] Michelle had previously rapped on a remix to American rapper Yo Gotti's 2015 single "Down in the DM",[4][7] and during her 2012 mixtape 0 Fucks Given.[11]

Upon its release, "Mindful" received positive reviews from music critics. Trevor Smith of HotNewHipHop praised Michelle's verses, writing that she "inject[ed] some serious attitude into her rhythmic verses".[6] The Boombox's Victoria Johnson commended the single for containing "some surprisingly slick rhymes",[12] while Elle Breezy of Singersroom described the song as "funky and full of Michelle’s big personality".[4] Britt Julious of Pitchfork praised Michelle's verses, identifying her confidence as the highlight of the single.[13]

An accompanying music video for "Mindful" was released on March 10, 2017, on Michelle's YouTube account.[2][3] It is one of four videos from More Issues Than Vogue; along with "Not a Little Bit", "Got Em Like", and "Ain't You".[14] The production of the "Mindful" video was featured on the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta; during the episode, American dancer Karlie Redd appeared on the set to have a discussion with Michelle.[15][16]

Throughout the video, Michelle is shown in "an all female crew vs. crew battle" in a trailer park.[17] Opening with a scene of Michelle playing cards and drinking brown liquor with her friends outside her pink mobile home,[10][18] the video transitions to the singer fighting with a group of girls and dancing in the street.[5][10][19] She is shown wearing colorful clothing, including a rainbow-colored wig and a fur coat.[10][12] She is also seen cleaning her house while wearing a sheer dress, pink heels, and a blonde bob cut.[10] T-Pain does not appear in the video.[5][18] Along with the music video, Michelle also promoted "Mindful" through a performance on the VH1 special, A Night with K. Michelle, which aired on March 21, 2016.[10] She also performed the single during her album release party at Webster Hall.[20]

Various critics noted the video for its use of bright colors.[7][10][19] Victoria Johnson highlighted the singer's pink jacket decorated with the words, "Slay Michelle", which she said is reminiscent of the jackets worn by the Pink Ladies in the 1978 film Grease.[12] Revolt's Seriah Buckler praised the video as "full of color and sass" and representative of Michelle's unapologetic personality.[17]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[1]

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• "Mindful" (Official Music Video) on YouTube