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Music

Where Is Vic Mensa? He's In The Club

Talking hip-house, Kaytranada collaborations, dance, and Japanese Candy with rap ambassador Vic Mensa.
Photo: Darren Luk

Chicago rapper Vic Mensa is at the forefront of a new hip-hop generation coming through. His first solo mixtape INNANETAPE was released in 2013, and he's been working alongside other rising stars like Chance The Rapper as part of the SAVEMONEY hip-hop collective. But if you want to find where Vic Mensa is right now, you might want to look in the club.

His latest tracks are marked by electronic experimentation and "Down On My Luck", from the forthcoming Street Lights album, sees him unite deep house with hip hop. He's also toured with Disclosure, been producing tracks with prime beatmaker Kaytranada, and featured on Kanye West's new song with Sia that dropped last week. Vic Mensa is definitely an artist with an ear to the underground of dance music culture, and one to keep a close eye on if he isn't already on your radar.

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On his first visit to Australia for St. Jerome's Laneway Festival and a few sideshows, I gave him a buzz to talk about genre, collaborations, dance music, and Japanese candy.

THUMP: Your sounds are diverse, and we're hearing more of an electronic element in your recent releases. What was the motivation to explore these styles?
Vic Mensa: Man, you know I'm just kind of into the sounds of the future a little bit and electronic music inspires me. It's got a bounce to it you know? I feed off energy, I'm all about energy and there's an electronic energy to that.

You've mentioned before that genre doesn't really exist for you. Can you explain what you mean and why you think that?
I think it's just because of listening and being a part of so many different styles and approaches to music, that just the boundaries of two word labels don't mean so much to me, because it all connects. Music is music. It's suppose to make you feel something and I don't give a fuck whether you want to call it rock and roll, trip hop, synth pop or rap. They can all make you feel the same thing.

You've toured with Disclosure, what was that experience like?
Disclosure tour was cool man! We kicked it! We were just kind of doing our own thing though, but I definitely took influence from that experience.

What did you take away from that experience?
I really liked their live shows. The moving parts and pieces to it. The bass and the drum pads. It was fresh, the way they put it together. I'm going to be playing with a small ensemble moving forward and so the way they put their show together is something that inspired me. And I just had a good time, so experiences that I had on tour, the things I did and people I met or talk to, have come back out in the music I make.

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Your single "Down On My Luck" has been such a hit. What drew you to making it a house track?
I was about to go on tour with Disclosure and I was like, let me make something that kind of touches on my Chicago house roots and something that people can dance to.

You've been working with Kaytranada a lot and just released another track called "Drive Me Crazy." How did you guys meet?
We met through our homie Tunji, who's one of the illest dudes in the gang. He knows what's next and he was one of my earliest supporters and an early supporter of Kaytranada. He connected us like a long time ago, like 2013.

When you're working with someone else, how do you know when it's going to work - are there signs that a collaboration is going to be a success?
Music sounds good you know? Kay[tranada], I think just carries on a wave length that's a little bit past what's going on right now. I'm on a wave length that's past what's going on right now, so when you put it together, it just sounds like what's next.

What were some of the key ideas that you took away from spending time in the studio with Kaytranda?
Something that was kind of new for me in "Drive Me Crazy" was when it gets to the hook, it completely drops off and suspended in thin air. That was like a different idea for me. I'm usually use to like, the hook comes in and everything intensifies, but that was a new sound.

What other kind of new sounds should people expect from your upcoming album Street Lights?
Personal personal music. Just like stories of my life, mainly in current events and what's been going on for the past couple of years. Shit man, it's kind of everything you need to know, or even not need to know about me. Sometimes I get a little apprehensive just because some of the music on there, like the stories I tell, like my inner most experiences, thoughts and feelings and shit.

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Where do you forsee rap and hip hop heading?
There's been a lot of the same sounds. Dark, pianos, trap drum kit shit just for a long time and I think it's time for new textures.

I feel like you are kind of at the forefront of the movement that's why I wanted to ask.
I don't want to tell them though, you know? I don't want to tell them what's next. I want to show them!

I heard you have heaps of Japanese candy in your rider. What got you into that?
Hi-Chews! I think RSVP Gallery is what first got me on Hi-Chews. It's this store in Chicago. Hi-Chews are like the best fucking candy ever.

What's the best flavor?
Mango!

Finally, since we've been talking a lot about dance music, are there any electronic producers you are listening to right now?
Lido is fucking dope. Esta. is dope. There's this kid called Sam Gellaitry. He's like a young Soulection dude, he's the shit.

Darren Luk is always on the look out for what's next in hip hop and dance music. Find out what he finds out via Twitter