Vic Mensa

Ghanaian-American rapper Vic Mensa was born and raised in Chicago. Mensa first broke into the music scene in 2009, with the hip-hop band Kids These Days, with whom he released an EP and a mixtape. Following the band's break-up in 2013, the rapper released his debut mixtape, "Innanetape" (2013) and went on a tour that ended in 2014, when he released his debut single, "Down on My Luck". He went on to collaborate with Kanye West, which earned him a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song as a co-writer. His famous collaborations did not stop there: in the following years, Mensa made music with Travis Scott, Skrillex, and opened shows for Justin Bieber in Europe. After the release of two more EPs, Mensa released his debut album, "The Autobiography" (2017), which debuted at number 27 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2019, he founded the punk-rap band 93Punx, releasing their self-titled first album that same year. Not long after, Mensa had his acting debut in the highly-praised drama "Akilla's Escape" (2020). His highly political next album, "I Tape" (2021) garnered positive reviews and signaled his return to form from a critical standpoint.