VIC MENSA

Chicago rapper Vic Mensa built substantial underground acclaim prior to reaching wider listeners through his role as a founder of the SAVEMONEY collective, his membership in the hip-hop group Kids These Days, and his independent solo output. He first stepped forward as a solo performer in 2013 by appearing on Chance the Rapper’s widely noted mixtape Acid Rap, then quickly issued material under his own name. His luminous lyricism drew from the optimistic wing of ’90s hip-hop while folding in rock and pop textures. This singular approach and repeated work alongside Chance the Rapper drew Roc Nation’s interest, resulting in a signing and the 2017 release of his debut studio album The Autobiography. Further EPs, joint projects, and singles followed, among them a 2019 collaboration with 93PUNX, 2022’s Vino Valentino, and Victor in 2023.

Born Victor Kwesi Mensah, he released solo recordings while still active with Kids These Days, including the Straight Up EP in 2010, yet waited until the group disbanded in 2013 before committing to a solo trajectory. He moved swiftly, assembling the SAVEMONEY crew that year, contributing to Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap mixtape, and delivering his own Innanetape project, whose title blended the words “Internet” and “mixtape.”

Mirroring the reception of Chance’s earlier effort, Mensa’s mixtape earned both critical praise and strong downloads, leading the independent rapper to join major-label artists J. Cole and Wale on their What Dreams May Come tour in 2014. The same year he topped XXL Magazine’s Freshman Class list and issued the hit single “Down on My Luck” via Virgin Records. He later joined Sia on Kanye West’s 2015 single “Wolves,” after which Kanye appeared on “U Mad,” Mensa’s first release for his new label, Roc Nation.

His debut EP, There’s Alot Going On, surfaced in 2016, followed the next year by the Manuscript EP. Also in 2017 Mensa released his first proper full-length, The Autobiography, which included appearances from Weezer, the-Dream, Chief Keef, Pharrell Williams, and additional guests; the album contained the single “Wings” and entered the Billboard 200 at number 27. The non-album track “Reverse,” featuring G-Eazy, arrived in 2018. The following year brought a series of singles, among them collaborations with 93PUNX (“Camp America”), the Rubens (“Falling Asleep at the Wheel”), and Jesse (“Let U Know”). His fifth EP, V Tape, appeared in August 2020, with its sequel I Tape following in 2021. The four-song Vino Valentino surfaced in 2022. After guest spots on tracks by Big Gigantic and Chance the Rapper, he released “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” (featuring Thundercat and Maeta) in 2023. Later that year came “$WISH” (ft. G-Eazy and Chance the Rapper) and “Eastside Girl” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign), along with his sophomore album Victor.