Few rappers are as interesting and articulate as Vic Mensa. Like Danny Brown or Jay Electronica, his sophisticated, idiosyncratic music swims near the mainstream without being corrupted by it. Since his 2017 debut The Autobiography, Mensa has formed a skate punk band, campaigned against the racism and gun violence he grew up with and established a Ghanaian black music festival to atone for American artists’ neglect of African stages. Now 30, he’s embracing sobriety – apart from certain psychedelics – and intends Victor to continue the upswing of his redemption arc.
As ever, Mensa’s raps slalom between the sacred and profane. The modish $WISH is fun if chillingly meaningless, Strawberry Louis Vuitton a mostly sweet love song, but the porny quips with Ty Dolla $ign on closing disco track Eastside Girl are depressing. He’s more genuinely stimulating on spiritual and political material such as Blue Eyes, which inspects colourism, self-hatred and suicidal ideation with an acoustic guitar and a choir. Even better is the killer beat and husky, near-hyperventilating delivery on rager LVLN UP. Mensa clearly has an intelligent appreciation of his craft, but can’t always figure out how best to display it.
