Vic Mensa Shares His Dramatic Story In "The Autobiography"

Rappers who have a dark story often times can make some really powerful tracks. When telling the tales of their lives, the music can get dark, and that's when it becomes its best in hip-hop. Vic Mensa shares his dramatic story in The Autobiography, his debut LP. 

Most life narratives in hip-hop are about living in a ghetto and going through the street life. Vic Mensa's narrative doesn't try to be too edgy or stretch the lines of what happened. It opens on a glorious and honest note with 'Say I Didn't,' opening it with a fitting skit that actually puts a perspective on where the album comes from. 'Memories On 47th St.' brings a more aggressive sound to the table, speaking about his upbringing with a fantastic hip-hop instrumental supporting it. While it feels like the Weezer collab isn't fully taken advantage of, Vic Mensa keeps his stories straight and to the point on track 'Homecoming' and keeps it going for the rest of the record.

I've said in the recent Aminé review that hip-hop is becoming a stale scene, and Vic Mensa is another light in the dark tunnel of that. The Autobiography is a very fresh album sonically, bringing varying vibes with a lot of unique moments. From the aggression of 'Memories' to the grand instrumental of 'Rage,' the album is constantly changing sound to keep it interesting. Even in the core of the album, you can listen to 'Down For Some Ignorance (Ghetto Lullaby)' and really get caught in its cool vibe and constantly changing sound, and 'Coffee and Cigarettes' follows and keeps that attention with its great sound. The only song that feels like it falls short is closing track 'OMG' with Pusha T, which, following 'Rage,' really doesn't feel like it ends the album on a note that does it justice.

Vic Mensa shares his dramatic story in The Autobiography, his debut album with a strong purpose. It's a great album that has Mensa laying down the facts of his life and promising that all he's been through will be the keys to his music in the future, and that can only mean his career is bound to be fruitful.

Favorite Tracks: Rage, Memories On 47th St., Down For Some Ignorance (Ghetto Lullaby)

Least Favorite Tracks: OMG, Card Cracker

Rating: 78 / 100

Stream or buy The Autobiography on Apple Music: