Vic Mensa Shares Emotional Video Explaining the Toll of the Streaming Era on Artists

Vic Mensa has shared his thoughts on being an artist in the streaming era, and spoke about the heavy emotional toll it can take on a rapper.

On Tuesday (June 3), the Chicago rapper hopped on social media and recalled an emotional breakdown he had in the shower after thinking deeply about the intense public perception artists deal with in 2025 surrounding an artist in the streaming era.

“Just broke down in the shower, thinking about the weight of being an artist in a time when work is so devalued and depreciated, the impact on the mental health of artists this streaming era has created,” Mensa said, with tears on his face.

Vic went on to speak about producer James Blake‘s latest platform Vault, where artists can upload unreleased music directly to fans. Mensa spoke about the time someone asked why they should pay $10 to one artist when they can pay the same for access to a streaming giant.

“At the time, I was like, you know, that’s so fried of a mentality, but today, it kind of hit me how it impacts the mental health of artists. People feel like, ‘That s—t not worth $10?’” Vic said, appearing to get more worked up. “It’s heartbreaking, but it’s hilarious at the same time, like not worth 10 bucks. Artists are already people that are predisposed to suicide … and to add into that a dimension of economic inequity so profound that not even the record labels know what to do about this. They don’t even know how to get the money right now.”

Vic added in the caption that he had “immense fear in posting this,” but added it’s “real.”

The rapper dropped his last LP Victor in 2023. Watch Vic speak more about his struggle with the reality of the modern music industry in the video below: