Vic Mensa has officially joined fatherhood after announcing the birth of his first child.
In an interview with Us Weekly, the Chicago rapper revealed that he and his longtime girlfriend welcomed a son, Mansa Musa, in private last year.
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Mensa also introduced his son in the music video for his new song “I Wanna Be Ready,” which finds him rapping to his infant child.
“What I do in my work as a parent, is to show you the worth you inherit / So you know who you are and you know you’re a God, these devils at work on your spirit,” he spits.
The track also features a verse written from the perspective of Mansa Musa: “I come from the source of creation, I’m a manifestation, a channel / A reincarnation of ancestors from the plantation to the pyramids.”
Explaining why he and his partner decided to keep their child’s birth a secret until now, Vic Mensa told Us Weekly: “With the world being the way it is and the internet, I just wanted to take my time. I wanted to protect our peace and protect [my girlfriend’s] peace and the process of pregnancy and his infancy and [it] just felt like the right time.”
He also spoke about why they decided to name their son, who they affectionally call Triple M, after an African king: “Mansa Musa [is] a 13th Century emperor of Mali and the Mali Empire was widely regarded as being the wealthiest man in all of human history.
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“Mansa Musa is just a very well-known figure in African history and amongst African people of the diaspora all across the globe, primarily for his wealth.”
The Roc Nation signee added that because “the history of Africa is diminished and devalued as a tool of oppression of African people as a justification for the enslavement and continued exploitation of African people in the African continent,” he felt it was important for his son to have a name with deep ties to his ancestry.
Mensa additionally revealed that the birth of his son has “significantly shifted” his perspective as a man: “I don’t have many of the same things that I often turn to escape through drugs and alcohol, and so being more centered in that way definitely helps me to be a better father.
“I believe in my power and my potential, so I do everything in my power to unlock it to the best of my ability.”
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Vic Mensa has been hard at work on his latest album, which close friend and collaborator (and fellow father) Chance The Rapper has hailed as his “best to date.”
