The Autobiography
Few things have moved Kanye West to action like the blowback he received upon removing Vic Mensa from 2015 *Pablo* standout “Wolves.” They’d premiered it (alongside Sia) during an SNL performance, an introduction to Mensa that many apparently cherished. Kanye would bring Mensa back via another edit, but it would take his guest’s debut album for the world to really know who he is. The Autobiography covers Mensa’s upbringing in Chicago’s violent South Side (“Memories on 47th St.”), his struggles with drug use and infidelity (“Wings”), and his most pronounced legacy to date, Mensa’s Black Lives Matter activism (“We Could Be Free”). The alt-rock-tinged “Rage”—which Mensa once claimed was a favorite of Beyoncé\'s—and “Omg (feat. Pusha T)” appear as bonus tracks.
The Chicago rapper’s first milestone is a careful step in his legacy-building business. It's an obvious turn inward, but Vic also digs his heels into new political ground.
Vic Mensa recruits The-Dream and Weezer's Rivers Cuomo in the Chicago rapper's stellar debut 'The Autobiography'.
The Autobiography seeks to remind young people especially that they are not alone in their struggles.
Named to XXL's Freshman Class of 2014, signed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2015, and nominated for a Grammy in 2016 (for co-writing Kanye West's "All Day"), Vic Mensa has been on a steady rise since he opened "Family," off fellow Savemoney member Chance the Rapper's 10 Day.
Vic Mensa has had a tricky time defining himself as an artist since his early mixtapes at the turn of the decade. During this period, he was often