Vic Mensa on the Need for the Prioritization of Mental Health
Written by h.campbell216 on April 14, 2025
Vic Mensa, born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, has long balanced vulnerability and a deep personal commitment to his community. In a recent conversation, the artist and activist spoke with a quiet depth and effortless cool as he provided EBONY with insight into his health journey and evolving relationship with social media.
Mensa, once hesitant to engage online, approaches the digital space now with thoughtful intention—using it not just as a platform for self-promotion but as a tool to build trust and connection with his audience. “I think that’s the balance on the edge of the knife,” he said in a moment of reflection; “how to use this as a tool and not let it use me or abuse me.”
Mensa spoke passionately about Chicago as a place rooted in immense creative influence and yet deep economic disparity, a contrast that fuels his belief in grassroots change. For Mensa, true transformation doesn’t rely on institutional power but on ordinary people showing up.
“I think that people’s movements are fueled by everyday people who don’t have tremendous resources. All of the leaders in our history have been that, you know what I mean? That’s the basis of community building—it’s being in and of the community,” he said.
A significant part of our conversation focused on Black men and their role in shaping healthier relationships with Black women, mental health, masculinity and accountability.
“I think that Black men, we gotta get in conversation with each other. How do we present ourselves with our brothers in our real life? Like, do we seek to hold each other and ourselves accountable? None of us are perfect, and we’ve been raised in very imperfect ways, to say the least. And none of that changes; however, it is our responsibility that we have to grow.”
Mensa then chuckled as he remembered one of these moments with his friends.
“Honestly, I should write a comedy episode about it,” he laughed. It is just funny because a lot of my homies, that’s not who they are, you know what I mean? Like, they don’t read the bell hooks books, and it was pretty comical. But I did think that the intention of it was something that we know to be true.”
Asked if he were to write his own “Gentleman’s Playbook, ” and what advice he would offer to Black men navigating today’s world, Mensa distilled his thoughts into three core principles: self-discovery, vulnerability and self-mastery. He sees these practices as the foundation for not only personal development but also broader collective healing.
Through his openness, Mensa continues to model what it means to lead authentically and build bridges between personal growth and cultural responsibility.
