What to Expect from Vic Mensa’s Debut Album “Traffic”

Written by Maxwell James (@maxwellxjames)

Chicago’s own Vic Mensa has been killing it for some time now. The beginning of his successful independent career came with the release of his last major project, “Innanetape” in September of 2013. Which included the likes of Ab-Soul, BJ The Chicago Kid, Rockie Fresh, and fellow SaveMoney member, Chance The Rapper. Along with "Innanetape”, Vic’s features and independent releases thus far, has equated to quite an impressive resume for the young artist.


Anyone who follows Vic Mensa could tell you it was just a matter of time before his career blew up and the rest of the world would take notice of the artist and it’s safe to say it has. Since signing to Roc Nation, and heavy involvement with Kanye West, the internet is buzzing more than ever about the SaveMoney artist’s debut album “Traffic.” 

So what can Vic Mensa fans expect to hear on the upcoming album?

It’s hard to even assume, at this point, what Vic Mensa’s debut album will sound like, considering the immense versatility of the artist. Vic’s ability to effortlessly transition from a classic hip hop joint to a new wave, house inspired banger, makes it hard to pin point what you’re going to get next from the artist. However, in a recent interview last month with Sirus XM Shade 45, Vic gives a little insight of what’s to come on “Traffic.” During the interview with Sway, when asked about Jay-Z, Vic said that after listening to just one song off the album, “Hov drew this comparison to Nirvana.” Which is significant due to the fact that Nirvana has always been one of the greatest musical influences in his life, as Vic explains later in the interview. Now one can only imagine what a Nirvana inspired hip hop record would sound like, but it has greatness written all over it. 

 
Along with Vic’s explanation of Nirvana’s influence on his music, when asked about the album, he explained “It’s a lot of my most personal stories, things that you wouldn’t really confide to anybody but the closest people to you.” Vic goes on to state that “sometimes it’s scary to be that true to yourself. But I can’t help it. I think that makes for the best music to me. No holds barred. I gotta be brutally honest with it.” His response to Sway’s question demonstrates what kind of artist Vic Mensa truly is and the level of intimacy to expect on "Traffic". 

In addition to the information Vic gave out in his interview with Sirus XM Shade 45, the SaveMoney artist also decided to debut a new track while performing in LA this week titled “3 AM”. While it’s not for certain that the track will be found on “Traffic”, “3 AM” has material that is somewhat reminiscent of The Weeknd, and Kanye West, which has fans’ optimism at an all-time high. 

In the end it will be interesting to see what Vic Mensa and his team were able to produce for the highly anticipated debut album. Just be sure to stay tuned for the release of “Traffic” and check out Vic’s other projects below!
https://soundcloud.com/vicsavemoney