A few nights ago, several buildings in Wicker Park were pasted with black-and-white posters featuring a shirtless Vic Mensa with a target on his chest, his body surrounded by bullet holes—a block of them took up a brick wall next to streetwear store Saint Alfred, where posters of the cover art for Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book had previously hung. These posters, which include the phrase “There’s Alot Going On,” followed an Instagram photo from late May that Mensa posted of himself crouching over a whiteboard laid flat on the floor, apparently working on track lists for an album and a tape—its caption reads “mark your calendar. #savemoneysummer.” The hashtag refers to the Save Money crew’s ongoing stream of releases: Sterling Hayes’s Antidepressant, Chance’s Coloring Book, Joey Purp’s iiiDrops, and Mensa’s debut EP for Roc Nation, There’s Alot Going On.
Mensa began rapping at 15 and has endured more than his share of ups and downs in the past eight years; “There’s Alot Going On” succeeds because he’s unsparing in his criticisms of his own choices. This reflects a growing sense of personal responsibility as well as a refutation of pop music’s culture of shielding its stars from the consequences of their sins. That culture can’t change overnight, but Mensa is doing his part.From now until July 4, you can download There’s Alot Going On for free by pledging to vote in the November election at the Respect My Vote website.
