Vic Mensa has dramatically changed his entire aesthetic since dropping his debut mixtape Innanetape in 2013 at age 19. Innanetape received a 98% reader rating on HNHH. It was a fantastic mixtape. Why the change? Mensa went from the carefree teenager flirting with girls by spraying them with orange soda-filled super-soakers to the Kanye protege with a "Southside" neck tattoo who addresses social injustice at length in his music.
In short, Mensa's ambition knows no bounds. His upcoming debut Traffic will undoubtedly be one of the most discussed and thought-provoking albums of the year. Click through the gallery to trace his brief, expansive, impressive history.
"Orange Soda"
Arguably Mensa's best song ever, "Orange Soda" encapsulates all that is good about summer. Cam O'bi serves up a jazzy boom-bap beat and Mensa pays homage to the most thirst-quenching of beverages and all that it stands for. Along the way he compares himself to Manny Pacquiao, Johann Sebastian Bach, and "Silkk the Shocker with a fifth of vodka."
"Holy Holy" feat. Ab-Soul & BJ the Chicago Kid
"Holy Holy" wouldn't have been remotely out of place had it been included in Coloring Book. It's a song about how life can be overwhelming sometimes, the pain life wreaks, the use of weed to medicate, and how the end result -- humility -- makes one look skyward for guidance.
"Hollywood LA"
Mensa released "Hollywood LA" one week after "Orange Soda" at the beginning of summer 2013, three months before he'd released Innanetape. Clearly, the tape was going to be fire.
Mensa makes no secret that he has been seduced by California and everything it represents (“streets are gold and good cannabis"). Nostalgic piano and clever lyrics keep him grounded.
"Lovely Day"
Mensa presumably shot the video for his being-young-is-tite anthem "Lovely Day" during the same trip that spawned "Hollywood LA" -- Armed with a droptop, a supersoaker full of orange soda, and a droptop, Mensa hits the Pacific Coast Highway with his friend and a pair of honies. Nothing can go wrong.
"Wimme Nah"
Kaytranada-produced "Wimme Nah" caught Mensa fresh off a spot on the XXL freshman cover. His confidence was at an all-time high -- he was ready to put the entire city of Chicago on his back ("I feel like Walter Payton, run that for my city now"). In Mensa's case, success fuels ambition and ambition fuels success.
"Down On My Luck"
"Down On My Luck" was Mensa's first single after he signed his deal with Virgin EMI. An upbeat yet melancholy club track, it signaled new direction for Mensa - a 'Ye-esque switch from holistic raps over soulful beats to a more ambitious wimlife in the electronic realm.
"U Mad" feat. Kanye West
Roc Nation used "U Mad" to announce the they had signed Vic Mensa. By this point Vic Mensa had fully evolved into Vic 2.0, from a starry-eyed young Annakin Skywalker into the vengeful Sith Lord Darth Vader, as evidenced in the "U Mad" video's red imagery.
"No Chill" feat. Skrillex
Mensa debuted "No Chill" at a random concert in Los Angeles last June. Even through the grainy smartphone footage, it was clear that the song was going to be one of the most epic bangers of the year. "No Chill" is proof positive that EDM and rap cannot only co-exist together, but thrive.
"16 Shots"
Last October, Mensa marched in protest against the Chicago PD after they release footage of a police officer gunning down LaQuan McDonald. During a performance at a #JusticeForFlint event in February he debuted a new song called "16 Shots," in reference to the number of bullets that struck McDonald.
In his review of Mensa's new EP There's A Lot Going On, HNHH's Patrick Lyons compared "16 Shots" favorably to the project's next song "Danger." "If '16 Shots' is Vic as a revolutionary Che Guevara, 'Danger' is him as the college freshman wearing a Che t-shirt."
"There's Alot Going On"
Mensa's EP title track reads like a page out of his diary, personal counts of his lowest lows and highest highs, seen through a spiritual lens. The song is a sort of a plea for forgiveness. It mirrors "Holy Holy" -- but with an entirely different sonic aesthetic.