Vic Mensa • "16 Shots"
Directed • Ace Norton
While much of the city has reveled in the optimistic stylings of Chance and co throughout 2016, his counterpart, Vic Mensa, has raised eyebrows by focusing on some of his hometown's grittier subject matter. Released on June 3, There's A Lot Going On is an ode to the progressive leanings of his friends, colleagues and contemporaries in Chicago and beyond, it's title a message unto itself that has come to define the year. The project's standout track, "16 Shots" written in memory of fellow Chicagoan Laquan McDonald who was gunned down by Chicago Police on October 20, 2014. The video of the shooting, released earlier this year, set off widespread protests that Mena himself took part in. Fittingly, he teamed up with Tidal to create a harrowing video that accentuates the message of his work in a way that won't soon be forgotten.
Mensa hasn't been afraid to dive headfirst into disruptive mentalities both with his music and the visual accompaniment that they are delivered to the public with. Since eschewing the dance-y feels of songs like "Down On My Luck", "All That Shines" and "Feel That", he's embarked on a more pointed journey, one that has seen him tattoo his throat with 'SouthSide' and deal in darker subject matter in his own work. On this one, he teams up with Ace Norton for a touching display that utilizes dash cam video from McDonald's murderer, Jason Van Dyke, cutting it together to put Mensa in front of the gun's barrel in a subtle twist that appears to speak to the fact the body on the pavement two years ago could have been any one of our friends or family. While his widespread notoriety may not yet be on par with his longtime friend, the work he's doing is just as important, if not moreso. Get into this powerful one, streaming above.
