Vic Mensa keeps the camera focused on social justice and uplifting his community on his latest project, I Tape, which sees appearances from Chance the Rapper and Wyclef Jean. This endeavor is the follow-up to his summer 2020 project, V Tape.
Vic has always made music that speaks to the people and for the people, and I Tape doesn’t deviate. This one finds the Chicago rapper shedding more light on the police brutality and systemic oppression that has befallen his community and others, using tracks like “Fr33dom” and “Shelter” featuring Chance and Wyclef to highlight these issues. Ultimately, I Tape continues an ongoing conversation that dates back far further than this past summer, with Mensa reminding his listeners the fight for Black rights is a forever thing.
Listen to Vic Mensa’s latest—also featuring appearances from Jeremih, Eryn Allen Kane, Zacari, and more—below:
Along with I Tape, Mensa dropped off the video for “Fr33dom,” which is full of political imagery. Directed by Chris Simmons, the visual opens with what looks like a young Mensa listening to music in his room. The scene then shifts to adult Vic beating up Uncle Sam and a cop with a pig mask kneeling, alluding to the murder of George Floyd. Throughout, Mensa’s powerful hook of “we ain’t scared of hoe-lice” reverberates in the background.
