ICYMI: Listen to Vic Mensa’s Heavy-Hitting Ode to Laquan McDonald, ’16 Shots’

By Sameer Rao Jun 06, 2016

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.