With just a couple weeks to go before his new project, The Autobiography, is set to drop, Vic Mensa is out here to make sure you know he has an important story to tell. The release of a new video for his inspirational song, "Rage," should do a pretty good job of preparing his fans for the album.
Documenting Mensa as he goes through a violent plane crash, the video for "Rage" supplements the song's theme perfectly, as Mensa sings and raps about his inner turmoil with fire erupting around him. Things start peacefully for Mensa, with the rapper initially enjoying an uneventful flight, only for his plane to get struck by lightning, leaving him to hang on for dear life.
Eventually, his best efforts to hang on are futile, and after his plane goes crashing into the ocean, we see him give up the struggle underwater. It looks like the story of our protagonist is over.
But Mensa is not so easily defeated. As he raps about the trials and tribulations he has been through in his life—addiction to pills, suicidal thoughts, and dealing with legal woes included—he eventually channels his inner turmoil and manages to come out stronger on the other side.
The story in the video reflects what he has told people about the track's meaning. In an interview conducted with Clash, Mensa described the song as a message to people who feel like the world is coming down around them.
"It’s a message I want to give to people because kids commit suicide because they get torn down by the things that seem impossible to overcome, and I’ve felt like that a million times," said Mensa. "I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve felt like ending it all. But 'Rage' is that light through the darkness."
Even as he tries to share this message with the public, Mensa continues to go through a great deal of chaos in his personal life. Reports came down Monday morning that he accepted a plea deal in connection with a concealed weapons charge, and the rapper will reportedly receive two years of probation as a result.
Still, that's a much better result than ending up behind bars, and it's one more event through which Mensa can channel his, ahem, "Rage" to create good music. You can watch the new video for the song up top, and watch out for The Autobiography when it drops on July 28.
