Vic Mensa dropped off his second studio album yesterday, Victor. The 18-track project sees him reflect on his newfound sobriety, and take a head-on approach to self-examination. The new LP is jam-packed with high-profile collaborations from the likes of G-Eazy, Chance The Rapper, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. Vic Mensa also teamed up with fellow Chicago-born performer Common, dissecting the ins and outs of their hometown on "$outhside Story."
He spoke about working with Common in an interview with Billboard, sharing how much the collaboration meant to him. "Common, for example, is my favorite MC since being a little kid," he explained. "Immediately I knew it’d be crazy to have his voice on here, and his paintbrush, his texture."
Read More: Vic Mensa Shares Sophomore Album “Victor”
Vic Mensa And Common Join Forces To Honor Their Hometown
The introspective collab sees the two artists pay homage to their hometown of Chicago. They highlight the dichotomy of the city's good and evil, calling on faith to ground difficult themes of getting caught up in the street life. The duo tells a tragic but hopeful tale of "two cities" in one, anchored by a laid-back beat and a soulful melody. Lyrics like "We found God in the devil's Bible / We thrive in survival" pull at the heartstrings of listeners, and give a candid look at an experience shared by so many.
"It’s really a story of redemption and triumph, and spirituality and love and pain and struggle — human experience," Vic Mensa said of the album. "That’s the place I write from. That’s what I aim to communicate and to convey. And I’m just so excited to open that conversation with any and everyone who listens to this album." What do you think of Vic Mensa's new album? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Quotable Lyrics:
A city of contraband and contradictions
The horns of Louis Armstrong wrestle with the devil's
While fireworks compete with gunshots on a hot summer night
Back in the day, we made the pilgrimage from the Deep South to our Mecca...
The Southside