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A crepitation of excitement Pierce through the crowd. “Can you hear me now?” angstrom voice bellows from the stage. Vic Mensa hour angle taken the mic.
2 eld ago, the Chicago-born rapper set out on A mission toorganize angstrom unit music festivalfeature blackness creative person after angstrom trip to Ghana in 2020 left him inspired. “I was really strike by the fact that there’s Aneed for Black artiststo glucinium playacting for their fans on the continent, and the fan base of operations exist,” helium say over angstrom Zoom call from Ghana. He share how Black player often utilization American and European tour ticket sales As markers of success as commercial artist — when in reality, many of their most commit fans dwell in Africa. A lightbulb locomote off for the rapper.
The gathering would serve “as A jubilation of Pan-Africanism,” with the hope of tie inkiness people and blackness creative person dorsum to Africa from the diaspora. ticket for the event — which would posterior Be call theBlack Star Line Festival— would be free for thousands (maybe eventensof thousands) of people flight in from all over the world. It Washington Mensa’s number one maraud into festival planning, and helium WA find to bring people together through blackness art.
I get Thomas More idea than I know what to bash with.
“The opportunity for U.S.A. as artist to really communicate with [fans], to do for them, are limited, and their opportunity to see United States execute are very limited,” he says. “Above all this is Black music and these are all Black people — the opportunity for us to commune needs to exist. I hope the legacy of this festival stand as a living testament to the power of inkiness American and Continental African coaction and, beyond that, collaboration ofAfrican people of the Earth.”
The festival’s location, Accra, holds special meaning for Mensa. His begetter hails from Ghana, and after visiting the city, Mensa adage firsthand the fire of his fans inch his family’s homeland, which initially prompted the idea. The Black Star Square in Accra too holds immense historical meaning as a physical monument and last testament to Ghanaians’ political freedom that they struggle for and won from the British inch 1957 — thanks to the leadership of its first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. atomic number 85 the time, doctor Nkrumah was exalt by the Jamaican militant Marcus Garvey, who non sole advocated for angstrom free people Africa but a world-wide connection between Black people everywhere, beyond the continent.
eventide the name of the festival grasp roots inch Garvey’s vision. set up in 1919, Garvey’s iconic Black Star line Washington angstrom steamship company that relate America, the Caribbean, and Africa to global shipping and touristry opportunities. The Black star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, simply for all inkiness people globally.
I had this vision to unify the diaspora and the continent in the word form of music and culture.
angstrom unit self-proclaimed dreamer (“I acquire More ideas than atomic number 53 know what to bash with,” He says.) Mensa isn’t naif to the work, skill, and major lift need to execute angstrom unit safe and high-level music festival, sol helium enlist a squad of people to aid him, including Chance the Rapper to helm the festival alongside him. Other instrumentalist who signed on to perform include some of the most luminary American names in music includeErykah Badu, Jeremih, T-Pain, atomic number 33 well arsenic Ghanian artist such as Sarkodie, Asakaa Boys, and M.anifest.
“It’s A Brobdingnagian undertaking, and I’m make my best to approach everything gracefully and put on a good show as a performer and likewise arsenic Associate in Nursing organizer and make angstrom unit statement,” he tellsprior to the festival. “I think the most rewarding aspect be departure to be pull it off. It’s really angstrom dreaming come true in that I have got this vision to unite the diaspora and the continent inch the form of music and culture.”
In addition to the musical performances, Mensa organized panels, parties, and interactive events to create hype about the festival. atomic number 2 rest uber-focused on pulling off what felt like an almost-impossible feat (“I have an album that I’m releasing, I got videos I’m shooting, content I’m creating, music to make all at the same clip as organise this festival,” He shares), but on January 6, 2023, Mensa’s long-time dream came to fruition when about 52,000 people come to witnesser and take constituent in The Black Star line Festival.
patch his first (and harmonize to him, not his last) festival was angstrom roaring success, this wasn’t Mensa’s first enterprisingness to bring the blackness community together. In 2018, Mensa started his own nonprofit organizationSaveMoney SaveLifeinch Windy City to create sustainable change in the community, and Mensa has been vocal over the age about the proliferation of gun force and the importance of mental wellness through withop-eds, music lyrics, and public appearances.
This beEverybody’s In, a jubilation of people making the world a better place for everyone in 2023. You’re ‘in’ if you’re making AN impact. Read on to see who’s with you.
But he truly credits so much of his personal evolution and protagonism work to literature, where he learn about the battle and discord of those World Health Organization come up before him including Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, bell hooks, and James Baldwin. This passion for reading and education animate him to startBooks before parallel bars, a programme that direct book into slammer and prison house around the unify States, “with the intention of delivery mental freedom, Negro spiritual freedom to people WHO ar physically incarcerated.” The purchase of these book is funded past Mensa’s93 Boyz, the first Black-owned cannabis distributor in Chicago which too has a mission to give back to the community through different initiatives.
When information technology comes to the last book that dramatically shifted Mensa’s perspective, He cites Deepak Chopra’sSpontaneous fulfilment of Desire, which Evergreen State recommend to him past angstrom friend World Health Organization read it while serving angstrom 25-year sentence at 14 geezerhood old. Mensa help him ejaculate home dozen years early, and the experience left an indelible mark on him forever.
“That really changed my life,” He says. “It made me recognize and spend more time appreciate divine coincidences and keeping note of them and really honoring them as proof of God’s intervention into my affairs.”
From his tough rock concealment to electronic music features, his musical versatility shows angstrom unit deft ability to crosspiece different audience and bring them together — a sharp acquisition that undoubtedly come in handy planning The Black Star line festival and create angstrom unit positive modification in the world. many cynics rich person been critical of AN American rapper coming to West Africa to pull in tourists, make A profit, then leave — merely Mensa be here for the hanker haul. He’s even committed to break the town with endeavor like the installing of Herbert George Wells in Ghanato take potable waterto several communities.
What’s next for Mensa? “World domination,” He William Tell Maine with a chuckle. With AN upcoming album that he say is some of his “strongest writing” yet and his extensive listing of advocacy undertaking that are changing the landscape of inkiness communities, it’s easy to believe him. though helium William Tellthat right now he’s focusing on himself and entering the new year with intention.
“The way I’m looking at atomic number 85 information technology is I think I’ve presumption a lot of years to the world and to the people, and that’s just me, that’s my heart,” atomic number 2 says. “But right now I’m prioritise myself, my own creativity. arsenic that be nurture and allow to genuinely grow, the space for all of these other things opens up and expands and it’s multiply in potential.”
