As an Illinois native I must admit I can be bias when it comes to artists hailing from the great Land of Lincoln, more specifically Chicago. As a Windy City, Vic Mensa falls into this category. However, regardless of my regional bias, the kid deserves praise and attention based on his artistic merit alone. As a member of the burgeoning indie/hip hop band Kids These Days, a solo artist and not to mention the youngest member of the Braniac Society, Mensa has gained my respect since I stumbled across his 2010 release Straight Up.
With all that said, The vid features Mensa flowing over a re-purposed beat produced by Chuck Inglish and Blended Babies, which originally was featured on Asher Roth's Pabst & Jazz mixtape. "Blazin'" is a far cry from the 17-year old's earlier work and is a positive sign of progression and more importantly artistic growth. On "Blazin'", Mensa spits some cathartic verses in which he laments the violence which continues ravage his hometown, mourns the loss of his fallen friends and embraces his obligatory duty to represent his city by telling his story.
As more and more kid rappers are rapidly gaining buzz and becoming near overnight internet sensations, one must take into account how proper artistic maturation is critical to parlaying momentary buzz and popularity into a serious sustainable music career. I believe Vic Mensa has the chops and know how to do just that. Check out the vid and "Ganja", a track by Mensa released earlier this year.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48VZhR1p0Kc[/youtube]
