Vic Mensa talks about his sophomore album, Victor, the Black Star Line festival in Africa, working and collaborating with other artists such as G-Eazy, Common and Chance the Rapper, his cannabis brand 93 Boyz and more!
Vic Mensa:
We broke out the sage.
Tetris Kelly:
Oh, of course!
Vic Mensa:
Or the palo santo! And just like, “Yeah, so what you thinkin’?” What’s up, y’all? I’m Vic Mensa, and you’re watching them Billboard News.
Tetris Kelly:
It’s Tetris with Billboard News. A lot of swag just hit the couch. What’s up, Vic?
Vic Mensa:
How are you doing, man?
Tetris Kelly:
Let’s talk about this music. You got your sophomore album coming, and I feel like your name has been around so long. It’s crazy this is only your second offering. So tell me how’s it feel to put your second piece of work out?
Vic Mensa:
I’m very excited about it. It’s really a story of redemption and triumph, and spirituality and love and pain and struggle — human experience. 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.
Tetris Kelly:
We’ve got some great collaborators G-Eazy, Common, Ty Dolla $ign. Love Ty. So how do you go about deciding who you want to bring into a project?
Vic Mensa:
I think first and foremost, it’s like, the relationships as a human being, as a man with those brothers in particular, like those are people that have long-standing personal relationships with so as I’m creating music, and I hear a voice to do something — Common, for example, is my favorite MC since being a little kid. When I made this song called “Southside Story” that is featuring Common, immediately I knew it’d be crazy to have his voice on here, and his paintbrush, his texture.
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