It’s been years since fans have heard Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa on a track together. The Chicago natives were side-by -side during the early stages of their careers and produced standout efforts like “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and “Tweakin” which appeared on their respective Acid Rap and Innatape mixtapes. Things would seemingly go left between Chance and Vic for a moment, but they would patch things up with a reunion at 2017’s Lolapalooza Festival. Despite this, fans did not receive any new tunes from the duo in the following years. Thankfully, all of that changed on Friday when they got back together for their “Shelter” single.
In their first collaboration in almost a decade, Chance and Vic show that their chemistry is still intact despite the wide gap since their last effort. Together, the two rappers speak on their efforts to provide protection to loved ones in a world filled with dangers for the average Black life, which includes police brutality and the coronavirus pandemic. Chance mentions Kenneth Taylor, the boyfriend of the late Breonna Taylor, and Philando Castile, and their desire to simply protect their families. Vic Mensa also touches on police brutality with a mention of Elijah McClain as he questions the country’s refusal to value Black people at all moments.
The track also comes after Vic surprised listeners with his strong V Tape EP last summer. The seven-track effort with features from Snoh Aalegra, Saint Jhn, BJ The Chicago Kid, Peter CottonTale, and more was one of the Chicago native’s strongest releases in a while. Chance The Rapper spent most of his 2020 as a guest feature on tracks that included Justin Bieber’s “Holy,” Peter CottonTale’s “Together,” and MadeInTYO’s “BET Uncut.”
You can listen to “Shelter” in the video above.