Album Review: Vic Mensa - The Autobiography

25 July 2017 | 2:42 pm | Evan Young

"After several years refining his craft he's ready to take on the world, armed with an exciting body of work."

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Initially slated for 2015 (it was scrapped to create a "more authentic" project), the debut LP from Chicago MC Vic Mensa has finally dropped.

The Autobiography is a striking collection of woozy trap pop and intimate personal anecdotes, immediately recalling Kanye West's Graduation. In a way, the record represents Mensa's own valedictory: after several years refining his craft he's ready to take on the world, armed with an exciting body of work.

Down For Some Ignorance, Wings and Rollin' Like A Stoner - a lavish earworm juxtaposing party sonics with musings on the pitfalls of excessive partying, ala Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools - exhibit Mensa's impressive ear for melody and ability to dissect the minutiae of his existence.