There's A Lot Going On - Vic Mensa Review

Yooo, what's up? I know I told some of y'all that I was going to review some old Mac Miller next, but  this project sparked my interest.

There's A Lot Going On - Vic Mensa

I don't really know all too much about Vic Mensa. I know he's on Kanye's original Wolves and that the song's I've heard are bangers. I also know he's signed to Jay-Z's label. The only two songs I've heard off this project are "New Bae" and " There's A Lot Going On". So this should be interesting.

Dynasty

I see how he named his first song after one of Jay's. I like that and dislike that at the same time. I really like the way the beat builds up for the first verse and then drops in the second verse. I like the way Vic pretty much just straights raps through the whole song. These are pretty long verses and he keeps the energy right up there throughout the whole song. He has some pretty good lines, referencing blood diamonds, Muhammed Ali, Holly Holms and plenty more. My favorite line has to be:

      "Got a brand new bae, she keep me good like the music."

That's not only a reference to a song that's on this project, but also a reference to G.O.O.D. music, Kanye's label.
My man's also coming with the Harry Potter reference with the line:

     " Get your priorities straight like Hermione Granger"

Gotta appreciate the Harry Potter references, always.

I think that this is a very strong intro for the album, energetic and it leaves you excited for the rest of the album.

16 Shots

This song is wild. I don't usually review songs about this subject matter, because I'm white and I can't really talk about the black struggle. I don't believe that I have the right to.

This song is about how in Chicago a young black male was shot 16 times by a police officer. This song is all about the frustration that Vic feels and the racism and injustice that he sees. It's actually a pretty good song, although he wild in'.

I really like the line:

    "Cop's killin kids and stayin' out of jail,

     But Bobby Shmurda can't even catch bail."

That's just some stuff to think about.

Danger

Yikes, this song goes hard. I first heard this song while I was watching Kanye's fashion show, where they played it at one point. Vic snaps on this song. It's all about how he lives a dangerous life style and that the only way he would ever calm down is if he had a girl that was worth it. But she gotta be tall and beautiful.

My favorite part of this song is his Drake diss that people are sleeping on.

    "I don't like the way n*ggas talking like the bulletproof,

     Until they gotta find out what a bullet do.

     Catch two in your Canada Goose."

This is a reference to drake's song "Summer Sixteen". I don't hate Drake, I just think it's funny that Vic disses him like that and I don't think Drake ever said anything back.

New Bae

This is my favorite song off of the project, no doubt. I like the way that it's a kinder slower song at first and how he kinda sings on it until his rap verse. It's a nice sounding song with a great beat. I like songs like this, where they have a slower verse and they snap on their rap verse.

Let me talk about the hook for a moment first. I noticed that Vic talks about D'ussé a lot, which is understandable since it is Jay-z's drink. I like the lines:

   " Let me pick my face up off the floor, I'm off the D'ussé.

      I been going so hard this week and shit it's only tuesday."

My man's going hard. It's a very catchy hook.

His rap verse is phenomenal. It's is also very catchy especially the way it starts:

   " New Bae, New Bae, up in Sacramento,

     D'ussé, D'ussé, with the Amaretto,

     Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang, when I switch the tempos."

This song is worth a listen, especially if you have never heard a Vic Mensa song.

Liquor Locker feat Ty Dolla $ign

This song has a pretty interesting title. Liquor Locker is an app in Cali on which you can order alcohol to be delivered to you. 

I really like the beat of this song, the guitar line is dope and gives it a summer feel. This is a great song to just sit back and vibe to. This the type of song that you listen to while you are sitting in your yard or by a pool, sipping a beer.

This isn't your typical rap song, if you can even call it a rap song. The past two songs have been a great change of pace from the aggressiveness of the first couple songs on this project.

I am very impressed with Ty Dolla $ign's verse on this song. It it actually fuego. 

It's a very well made and catchy song and is my second favorite song off of this project.

Shades Of Blue

This song surprised me. It starts out with a piano and whatnot and then he just comes out of no where with his first verse.

This is another song about the struggle of black people in America. Again I don't really have a right to say anything about it in my opinion. He references, among other things, the Flint water crisis, white media, Eric Garner, and violence in Chicago.

The hook is very deep, saying that regardless if it's sunny or rainy out, it's still depressing and gray to him. 

He makes a very valid point about that 'Damn Daniel' kid getting all this national fame and lots of people knowing more about that than the Flint water crisis. 

The line that really shines through for me is this one:

    "And Derrick Rose ain't the only one shootin' "

Derrick Rose plays for the Chicago Bulls and he's saying that in Chicago D.Rose isn't the only one shooting meaning that people are getting shot on the street and whatnot.  This is a very good song in my opinion.

There's A Lot Going On

This is the last song off of the project and it's also the most personal song on it. This song is wild, he goes through his come up and the difficult road he was/is on. This is an interesting song that takes you on a trip through Vic's life through his eyes. I could sit here and write about every little thing he says in this song but I honestly think that it is worth the listen and that y'all should at least listen to this song. I would put the youtube video on here but you actually have to watch it on youtube due to copyright things, so I can't. Just trust me when I say it's worth a listen.

The most important lines have to be:

    " Cleaned out my Closet, I got rid of all them Demons.

      If you learn one thing from my journey, n*gga, it's don't stop believing

      When this shit got so suffocating, I could barely even keep breathing.

      Wrote all my wrongs in this song now I'd like to welcome y'all to my season."

That's how you end a project.

Verdict

This project really surprised me. I wasn't expecting Vic Mensa to actually go so hard and this project to actually be so good. There's not really a song that I would describe as boring or meh. Every single song is unique in a way and there were some really good surprises on it, such as 'Liquor Locker', 'New Bae', and 'There's a lot going on'. The production on this project is perfect, all of the beats are great. Vic is a very conscious rapper, who knows what is going on, even if there is a lot going on at the same time. I'm giving this one a 4/5. Peace.