KWAKU by Vic Mensa from the album I Tape EP © 2021
STREAM I TAPE: https://vicmensa.lnk.to/iTape
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Lyrics:
I was born in Asokore, Koforidua in the eastern region of Ghana
And I started schooling in a one room school house
Now I can look back and say everybody was poor
But we didnʼt know we were poor because we had food all the time Loving family
The main problem was trying to go fetch water because there was no running water in the house
The bathroom is somewhere there outside
We didnʼt have the clean shoes that everybody had
We didnʼt have good clothing
It wasnʼt particularly very comfortable being under British colonial domination
And then I came to the United States in 1977
Just before the winter
Chicago then had a murder rate of close to 1,000 a year
It was a very violent city
Thatʼs when it earned itʼs nickname as the Beirut on the lake
But again I didnʼt let that scare me
I went to 63rd
We used to say that 47th Street was so dangerous that if you died
Your parents may not come for your body
Yeah it was bad but still the city was fun
Well when I had a son
And I just thought that it was better to stay in Chicago to raise kids
The good thing about Chicago is you learn the truth about America
There is no sugarcoating nonsense in this town
I was scared though, I got scared because I thought you could be shot
When you started getting in trouble I started graying, I started graying very fast My heart is beating and I was having nightmares because you were having real problems with the police
Anytime im called to come and look for the police station where my son could be
I was scared that one of these days I maybe called to the mortuary to identify your body
Your growing up in Chicago gave me a lot of heart ache and head ache
But around the time you did the Innanetape
The enthusiasm with which you handled that
And the friends all around you
How mature they become
All of you
Made me think these kids have made it
I think my father in his grave would be very happy that I brought up some good kids in America
And particularly also I see it as a great success
If I leave I have very little regrets
Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Vic rose to public awareness as a member of the eclectic hip-hop band Kids These Days and founder of the Chicago collective SAVEMONEY alongside Chance The Rapper and other local upstarts Joey Purp and Peter CottonTale. His solo debut mixtape INNANETAPE dropped in 2013, igniting immediate accolades (including a spot on the XXL Freshman cover in 2014), and a fortuitous introduction to Jay Z that led to a record deal with Roc Nation. Mensa went on to help Kanye West pen his esoteric song “Wolves” from The Life of Pablo, drop three critically acclaimed EPs (2016’s There’s A Lot Going On, 2018’s Hooligans, and 2020’s V TAPE) and his debut full length The Autobiography (2017), as well as furthering social causes in his hometown through his nonprofit SAVEMONEYSAVELIFE.
In both music and his social activism, Vic challenges the American system responsible for a history of overcriminalization, racial injustice, and issues that affect the lives of people in underserved communities, while showcasing profound levels of consciousness and self-reflection.
#VicMensa KWAKU #ITAPE #OfficialVisualizer
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