Vic Mensa says rappers are doing serious harm when their lyrics promote drug abuse because it’s killing kids, and costing us artists like Juice WRLD.
Mensa spoke to TMZ outside of a nightclub in West Hollywood, and gave his take on Lil Pump dropping “Drug Addicts” from his setlist at L.A.’s Rolling Loud Festival. Pump opted for a tribute to the late rapper with Juice’s hit single, “Lucid Dreams.”
Vic gave a nod to Pump for the gesture, but he added hip-hop as a whole needs to take responsibility for Juice WRLD’s death. “I think that as members of the hip-hop community, we need to take responsibility for the things that we say,” he said.
The rapper pulled no punches, saying rap lyrics glorifying drugs sends a dangerous message to fans, especially young ones. “We need to recognize that the shit that we talk about influences children, and so when we steady pushing the message of lean and Percocets and xans, we are polluting the minds of the youth,” he added.
Mensa, who has talked openly about his past struggles with drugs and depression issues, said Juice WRLD’s death hit him hard because he realized how easily that could’ve been him. “You gotta be careful about what you say because kids take what you say for real, they take it as the gospel. So give them something they could use, not shit that’s killing them,” he said, adding, “When we see these things happening to the young brothers… Rap is much to blame for it”
