“Down On My Luck” marks the first official single from Chicago’s Vic Mensa since he signed a record deal. Mensa got wide notice with his independently released INNANETAPE last year, and for good reason: His off-kilter style and stream-of-consciousness rhymes set him apart as a unique voice in hip-hop.
Those who are already fans of Mensa may be thrown by this new track: Vic opts to flex his vocal chords and shows off some real singing ability over a bouncy, synthy dance track. That he can experiment this successfully with his sound suggests that his range is even broader than his early work suggested.
The video, meanwhile, is something of a Groundhog Day homage. If only we all had infinite re-dos when we hit the club.