Vic Mensa Drops Valentine’s Day EP, ‘Vino Valentino’
The project demonstrates the breadth of his musical range via a collection of outright love songs.
Chicago rapper, actor, and activist Vic Mensa has shared a surprise four song EP for Valentine’s Day. Though perhaps best known for his incisive political insights and adept mic skills, Vino Valentino demonstrates the breadth of his musical range via a collection of outright love songs that lean as much on his skills as a singer and songwriter as his gift for delivering rapidfire bars.
The EP also acts as a showcase for his ever-growing talents as a producer, with Vic providing the beats for standout tracks “D’ussé Tears (feat. Dixson & Malik Yusef)” and “Can I Call U Baby (feat. Peter CottonTale)” (in collaboration with Peter CottonTale, and Stefan Ponce, the latter of whom also provided the production for “Alone Wit U” and “Cancer (Interlude)”).
Vino Valentino marks Mensa’s first release for 2022 and comes on the heels of broad acclaim for his 2021 I TAPE release, whose lyrics detailed American dysfunction with a poignancy and articulation that few could match.
The project was anchored by “Shelter,” a powerful collaboration with Chance The Rapper and Wyclef Jean that unpacked the tangled web of poverty and criminal justice. The release was just one of many highlights for the year, including broadcast interviews with Ari Melber and Trevor Noah, a stunning performance of “Shelter” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, a recurring role on Lena Waithe’s The Chi, a show-stopping performance of his fan-adored debut project INNANETAPE at Chicago’s Riot Fest, a slew of collaborations, and more. He’s been hard at work on the highly anticipated C TAPE (due later this year) so 2022 is already shaping up to be big with this V Day EP at the helm.
Vino Valentino Tracklist:
1. D’ussé Tears (feat. Dixson & Malik Yusef) – Produced by Vic Mensa, Additional Production by Peter CottonTale, Greg Landfair, Dwayne Verner Jr., Dixson
2. Alone Wit U (feat. Do Or Die) – Produced by Stefan Ponce
3. Cancer (Interlude) – Produced by Stefan Ponce
4. Can I Call U Baby (feat. Peter CottonTale) – Produced By Vic Mensa, Peter CottonTale, Stefan Ponce, Dwayne Verner Jr., Greg Landfair, and Erik Rumsa
