There's Alot Going On

There's Alot Going On is the second mixtape by American rapper Vic Mensa. It was released on June 3, 2016, through Roc Nation for retail. It serves as a prelude for his debut album, The Autobiography.[6]

There's Alot Going On
Mixtape by
Vic Mensa
ReleasedJune 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)
GenreHip hop
Length32:53
Label
Producer
  • Carter Lang
  • Knox Fortune
  • Papi Beatz
  • Peter CottonTale
  • Smoko Ono
  • Vic Mensa
Vic Mensa chronology
Innanetape
(2013)		 There's Alot Going On
(2016)		 The Manuscript
(2017)
Singles from There's Alot Going On
  1. "Danger"
    Released: February 13, 2016
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
HipHopDX3.7/5[1]
Pitchfork7.5/10[2]
The Star[3]
Vice (Expert Witness)A–[4]
XXL4/5[5]

Background

In this EP, Vic Mensa expresses his point of view about personal issues and recent events such as Flint Michigan's water crisis and the shooting of Laquan McDonald. Mensa even talks about himself suffering some self-inflicted wounds.[7] The EP's production was provided by Papi Beatz himself, along with the additional production such as Smoke Ono, Knox Fortune, Carter Lang, and Mensa himself.[8] "Liquor Locker" features a guest appearance from Ty Dolla Sign.[9] The title of the EP comes from Guns N' Roses' music video for "Don't Cry".[7]

Promotion

On February 13, 2016, Vic Mensa released a track, called "Danger". This track was posted, after it premiered at Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at the Madison Square Garden.[10] On June 6, 2016, which is Mensa's birthday, Vic Mensa released the music video for the title track, "There's Alot Going On".[11] On October 22, 2016, he released the music video for "16 Shots".[12]

Critical reception

Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork gave the EP a 7.5 out of 10, calling it Vic Mensa's "best and boldest" work so far.[2] Scott Glaysher of XXL said, "There are a variety of instruments used throughout, which is refreshing to hear in today's musical climate — no songs sound the same and all fat is trimmed."[5]

Rolling Stone placed it at number 39 on the "40 Best Rap Albums of 2016" list.[13] HipHopDX named it as one of the best mixtapes of 2016.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Dynasty"
Papi Beatz3:55
2."16 Shots"
  • Papi Beatz
  • Vic Mensa[b]
5:45
3."Danger"
  • Mensah
  • Baez
Papi Beatz3:57
4."New Bae"
  • Papi Beatz
  • Smoko Ono[b]
4:21
5."Liquor Locker" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign)
  • Papi Beatz
  • Smoko Ono[b]
4:18
6."Shades of Blue"
  • Mensah
  • Baez
  • Garcia
  • Carter Lang
4:46
7."There's Alot Going On"
  • Mensah
  • Baez
  • Garcia
  • Kevin Rhomberg
  • Lang
  • Peter Cottontale
5:51
Total length:32:53

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer.
  • "16 Shots" features additional vocals by Alexandra Tamposi.
  • "New Bae", "Shades of Blue" and "There's Alot Going On" feature additional vocals by Mickey Shiloh.

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 127
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 14

References
  1. McKrell, Aaron (June 6, 2016). "Vic Mensa - There's Alot Going On". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  2. Strauss, Matthew (June 9, 2016). "Vic Mensa: There's Alot Going On". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  3. Ndolo, Davies (June 18, 2016). "Album Review: There's a lot going on". The Star. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  4. Christgau, Robert (July 16, 2016). "Vic Mensa, Joey Purp, Clams Casino, and Growing Up Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  5. Glaysher, Scott (June 6, 2016). "Vic Mensa Proves That Less Is More on 'There's Alot Going On'". XXL. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  6. Goddard, Kevin (June 2, 2016). "Vic Mensa Releases New EP "There's A Lot Going On"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  7. Platon, Adelle (June 3, 2016). "Vic Mensa Talks Emotional 'There's Alot Going On' EP, Encourages Fans to Vote". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  8. Slingerland, Calum (June 2, 2016). "Vic Mensa Releases 'There's Alot Going On'". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  9. Legaspi, Althea (June 3, 2016). "Vic Mensa Unveils Free 'There's Alot Going On' EP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  10. Strauss, Matthew (February 14, 2016). "Listen to Vic Mensa's "Danger"". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  11. Song, Sandra (June 6, 2016). "Premiere: Vic Mensa Bridges The Personal With The Political In His Powerful Video For "There's Alot Going On"". Paper. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  12. Pierre, Milca (October 22, 2016). "Everyone Can Stream Vic Mensa's Music Video for "16 Shots" Exclusively on TIDAL". The Source. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  13. "40 Best Rap Albums of 2016: 39. Vic Mensa, 'There's Alot Going On' EP". Rolling Stone. December 22, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  14. "The Best Mixtapes Of 2016". HipHopDX. December 29, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  15. "Vic Mensa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  16. "Vic Mensa Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  17. "Vic Mensa Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
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