Vic Mensa has released a visual for his latest single, “Strawberry Louis Vuitton,” which sees him jumping out of an airplane while playing a guitar.
The new clip, dedicated to the memory of Virgil Abloh, was released exclusively via the rapper’s Facebook account on Friday (January 27), the same day the song hit streaming platforms.
The video intermittently shifts between Vic Mensa riding in an airplane as it climbs to a jumping altitude, skydiving while strumming an electric guitar, and walking along a dirt runway. Scenes of a woman waiting for him on a picnic blanket while capturing the footage on a handheld camcorder add to the nostalgic feel of the video.
While the brand gets a major shout out in the song’s name and chorus, the visual nods to Louis Vuitton would be easy to miss for anyone unfamiliar with the fashion house; with the name only appearing on the bottom of Vic’s sneakers and the frames of his co-star’s sunglasses.
Vic Mensa shared his excitement about the new video — which he co-directed with Chicago-based director and photographer Danielle deGrasse-Alston — in an Instagram post featuring footage of his skydive. “I really put my heart & soul into this song & video I produced the record, directed the video with @daniedegrasse , edited the trailers… everything!!!,” he wrote.
In a subsequent post, the “Wraith” rapper offered his thoughts on the importance of remaining involved in the creative aspects of all facets of his artistry, hinting at the challenges he faced in shooting the “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” video.
“Okay i wanna talk about limitations being the mother of invention,” he started. “I get so tired of being in the industry and people always telling you ‘you need 50k to even think about shooting a video’ like yo, what happened to our creativity? we started making shit that impacted the world with NO money, just ideas inspiration and grind! It can be so easy to come into success and budgets and now just toss the responsibility of developing the creative to the label, or have directors submit treatments etc. but it just don’t hit the same!
He continued: “There’s something different about caring so much that you are carrying the camera, leading the styling, editing the videos, doings the stunts, working on the production… that’s how it was when me & danielle were doing videos from innanetape; im back on that shit. strictly hands on creative vision !! & working with your friends shout out to @princessfleeona.”
Click here to watch the full “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” video.
Between his new single and his previous release with Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa fans have heard more about the artist’s entrepreneurial and charitable endeavors than they have about plans for a new project.
Last summer he unveiled his new cannabis brand 93 Boyz, is the first Black-owned, equity focused cannabis company in Chicago and in the entire state of Illinois. The brand’s mission is to reinvest in the communities and individuals “that have been historically and disproportionately affected by outdated laws, prejudices and assumptions regarding cannabis consumption,” according to a press release.
He then joined forces with Chance once again to close out 2022 with the inaugural Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, which drew 50,000 attendees from across the globe.
The event took place in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on January 6 and saw performances by Chance and Vic, who’s father is from Ghana and who got a great reaction from the crowd when he announced during his performance that he had had come home, the BBC reports.
Others on the bill included American artists Erykah Badu, Jeremih, Tobe Nwigwe, T-Pain, and Talib Kweli, who was introduced by Dave Chappelle; as well as local stars including Sarkodie, Manifest and The Asakaa Boys. Tens of thousands of fans stuck around until the early morning hours on January 7 to catch Chance’s set, which included a live performance of “Cocoa Butter Kisses” with Vic Mensa.
In addition to the concert at Black Star Square on Friday night, the Black Star Line Festival included a week’s worth of special events and panels, including a fireside chat between Chance The Rapper and Dave Chappelle, who discussed bringing new attention and business to local comedy clubs and his dream of one day living in Ghana, inspired by a conversation with JAY-Z.
In the days leading up to the festival, Vic Mensa launched an initiative to provide clean water to over 200,000 residents. The rapper told TMZ Hip Hop that he grew emotional when he saw the living conditions in Accra, which included contaminated water, and partnered up with his father, to bring clean water to three villages.