Vic Mensa never runs out of gas

Rapper and singer Vic Mensa continue to make a difference within his community through multiple endeavors. He celebrated 4/20 by presenting his new cannabis brand 93Boyz to the world.

He moderated a panel on cannabis equity at Soho House that same evening to discuss various disparities in the system. The venue fittingly located on Green Street hosted drinks and appetizers while panelists dove into the subject at hand. Panelists included Dan Pettigrew founder of Viola, executive director of Chicago NORML Edie Moore and Ron Holmes, who is the founder of Majority-Minority Group.

Mensa talked about this new project and much more before the evening's festivities began,”I founded this brand 93Boyz with my partner Towkio after two years of working on it. We are finally ready to launch the first minority-owned brand in Illinois dispensaries.

My involvement with the cannabis industry began before it was legal. Selling weed was my first hustle. That was how I funded all of my early music. I learned a lot back then. It taught me punctuality and to have a work ethic. It is intrinsically linked to the genesis of my music career.”

He plans to link his profits to socially-minded programming local in Chicago. “Music, art and fashion are all intertwined in the community. This cannabis venture is no different. This is a little more clearly defined as our proceeds are going towards community programs. One is called Books Before Bars where we put a large number of books into Illinois and California's correctional facilities. I am super excited about that because I have been actively involved in the freedom movement with many people in my life. One of the most transformative things I have seen is to give a person who is locked up a book. Sometimes someone is knee-deep in the streets and that is the only thing to help their mind. I have seen books give freedom to someone who is in a soul-crushing incarceration situation.”

When asked about freeing all of the prisoners in jail because of past cannabis violations now that it is legal Mensa explained, “That was actually my first idea for the launch of 93Boyz was to help low cash cannabis bail offenders but there is already a release and expungement in place already. It is complicated because the offender has developed a rap sheet because of other violations after the marijuana violation such as violating probation. The criminalization of marijuana is so much deeper than people know.”

Mensa stated he is almost “ninety percent finished” with his new album and is continuing to work on it. He went on to say he is also working on bringing a group of young people to Ghana in West Africa, where his father is originally from, at some point in the future.

For more on his music visit, VicMensa.com and 93Boyz.com is the place to be for his cannabis cultivation project.