Rapper Vic Mensa addressed police violence in no uncertain terms when he debuted "16 Shots" at Blackout for Human Rights’ #JUSTICEFORFLINT event in Flint, Michigan, this February.
The Chicago native premiered a recorded version of the track, named for the number of times ex-police officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald, on Ebro Darden’s Beats 1 radio show last Thursday (June 2). Mensa appeared in photographs from protests against McDonald’s shooting and city officials’ seeming cover-up.
"I was inspired to make this song by my time down on the ground floor in the street when we were revolting against that shit," said Mensa to Darden. "Since then, a lot of things have changed, but one main thing hasn’t changed, [which] is that our lives are not respected."
The song appears on Mensa’s new EP, "There’s A Lot Going On," which had a surprise release on Friday (June 3). Check out the track below.