There's been some recent talk that Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa aren't currently on the best of terms, a thought that has upset fans of both artists, who've been collaborating for years. Fortunately, Vic has made a point to dispute the rumors that there's any kind of tension between him and Chance, which makes for a good excuse to take a step back and appreciate the work the two rappers have done together.
Coming up in the SaveMoney crew, Chance and Vic have shared many Chicago-based collaborators, developing their sounds within the same creative collective, and eventually creating their own lanes in the process. Looking at the songs they've done together, you can get a sense both of the overlap and contrast in their styles, which became more defined as the years went by. Click through the gallery to revisit the collaborations between the two artists, and let us know which on is your favorite in the comments below.
Chance The Rapper - Family Featuring Vic Mensa & Sulaiman
Chance The Rapper - "Family" Featuring Vic Mensa & Sulaiman
Vic Mensa had a memorable feature on Chance The Rapper's 10 Day mixtape in 2012, opening up "Family" with a 16, and appearing in the video, eating with Chance and the rest of the SaveMoney crew. The candid moments throughout the video definitely show the two rappers as more than just collaborators, but friends, and possibly, as the title suggests, family.
Kids These Days- "Wasting Time" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Kids These Days- "Wasting Time" (feat. Chance The Rapper)
Kids These Days may have only put out one album, but their influence has been felt throughout the work of both Chance and Vic. Released a few months after Chance's debut, the Vic-fronted band which counted Donnie Trumpet (then known simply as Nico Segal) and other future Social Experiment collaborators among its members, incorporated the sounds of blues, jazz, and rock into their style, and on "Wasting Time," they brought Chance The Rapper into their world, finding a chemistry between the various creative minds that would continue for years to come.
Chance The Rapper - Lord Release (Ft. Vic Mensa)
Chance The Rapper - "Lord Release" (Ft. Vic Mensa)
The origins of this record are somewhat unknown, and it sounds like somewhat of a demo, but for the Chance or Vic completist, it's still very much worth checking out. Liberally sampling Joanna Newsom's hypnotic harp ballad, "Cosmia," the two Chicago emcees each take a different perspective on a family affected by the dangers of drug dealing, proving they have the chemistry to write together on a concept.
Vic Mensa - Tweakin' (feat. Chance The Rapper)
Vic Mensa- "Tweakin" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Much has changed between Vic Mensa's INNANETAPE and the 2016 follow-up, There's Alot Going On. Vic has experimented with a few different sounds, finding a nice pocket between rap and dance on "Down On My Luck," but later taking a turn towards the aggressive, a side that's fully realized on his new project through confrontationally personal and political records. He and chance are now on different waves but still building, so to speak, but track 4 on Vic's 2013 tape, "Tweakin," sounds like the product of two very like-minded artists, but Vic is already skewing towards the tightly packed double-time raps we'd hear him tighten on his new material, where Chance settles for a much looser, but still deceptively technical approach. The subtle differences in their overlapping style is what makes this collaboration so effective.
Alex Wiley- K Swiss (Feat. Vic Mensa & Chance The Rapper)
Alex Wiley- K Swiss (Feat. Vic Mensa & Chance The Rapper)
Stefan Ponce and Peter Cottondale are two producers known to work with Chance and Vic, and here they supply the beat for another rising Chicago rapper, Alex Wiley, who the two rappers decided to support on his "K Swiss" single, which begins as a slow jam before shifting into a high BPM juke break, recalling Chance's own recent record, "Juke Jam". Their contributions here are pretty minimal, but they make up for essential elements of the record.
Donnie Trumpet - Zion ft. Chance the Rapper & Vic Mensa
Donnie Trumpet - "Zion" (Feat. Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa)
Strangely, Vic Mensa's Kids These Days band would dissolve and partially reform as The Social Experiment, becoming Chance The Rapper's main collaborators with the release of SURF. Donnie Trumpet would arise as the leader of said group, but before he put together his debut album, he collected both Vic and Chance for "Zion". Released in 2013, Chance pays tributes to Kids These Days, rocking a shirt in the video, while he and Vic both demonstrate how their songwriting sense has been shaped by working within the same creative collective.
Brian Fresco- "Steamer" (feat. Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kami De Chukwu & Tokyo Shawn)
Brian Fresco- "Steamer" (feat. Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kami De Chukwu & Tokyo Shawn)
Brian Fresco's 2013 single, "Steamer" is a braggy crew track which allows both Chance and Vic to kick some of their flashiest rhymes, getting into full cypher mode. If you're looking for straight ahead bars from these guys, this is a good place to start, but stick around for the verses from their crew.
Chance The Rapper, Kami de Chukwu, Vic Mensa, Towkio, and Caleb James- "Seppuku"
Chance The Rapper, Kami de Chukwu, Vic Mensa, Towkio, and Caleb James- "Seppuku"
Once again, "Seppuku" finds Chance and Vic squading up with their SaveMoney collaborators, rapping over a shape-shifting, synthetic instrumental, that calls for some of the most ferocious rhymes from all those involved. This is a group of friends feeding off of one another's energy and bringing their best to the table, which is always a great formula, especially when there's this much talent involved.
Mick Jenkins - Crossroads (ft. Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa)
Mick Jenkins - "Crossroads" (ft. Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa)
2013 was a very good year for Chance and Vic collabs, and one of their best was a record by Mick Jenkins, a fellow Chicagoan who was a fairly new name at the time, but has made major moves since. Obviously, the SaveMoney boys use their cosigns wisely, and gave Jenkins some well-deserved attention with "Crossroads," with each of the three rappers bringing some technical verses to the table while also distinctly executing their own style.
Chance The Rapper - Cocoa Butter Kisses (feat. Vic Mensa and Twista)
Chance The Rapper - "Cocoa Butter Kisses" (feat. Vic Mensa and Twista)
"Cocoa Butter Kisses" is probably the most well-known collaboration between Vic and Chance, and for many, it was likely an introduction to Mensa. One of the more immediately satisfying tracks on Acid Rap, the track finds Chance reflecting on the changes in the relationship with his mother as he grows older, hearkening back to simpler times, while Vic looks around at his peers (cleverly referred to as "kids these days") experimenting with drugs, feeling conflicted about his generations habits while participating ("I think we all addicted").
Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa- "Suitcase"
Chance The Rapper & Vic Mensa- "Suitcase"
"Suitcase" was a random loosie released at the tail end of 2013, the same year Chance released Acid Rap and Vic released INNANETAPE. Cam O'bi, a regular collaborator of both artists at the time, provides the weary synth track, while both rappers display some conversational verses, starting and stopping at unconventional intervals. After trading rhymes, both artists break out their singing voices, where they differ in approach, Chance opting for a squeaky, almost child-like falsetto, while Vic reveals the sweet, confident vocals we'd hear later on his "Wolves" guest spot as well as dance-influenced records like "Down On My Luck".