Vic Mensa, Musician and Founder of 93 Boyz – Interview Series

Although many musicians across genres have launched their own cannabis brands, including Justin Bieber and Willie Nelson, few celebrity brands have as many personal themes as Vic Mensa’s 93 Boyz. Incorporating Mensa’s artistry, his hometown of Chicago, and the professional opportunities for Black-owned businesses in the cannabis industry, the 93 Boyz brand encompasses so much more than just another celebrity brand by a public figure who also enjoys cannabis. To better understand the brand, mycannabis.com had the great pleasure of speaking with Vic Mensa himself.

Who or what most shaped you in your early years as an artist and activist? Who would you say are some of your main influences in both music and activism?

I grew up in Chicago, so the city itself was one of my biggest teachers. The rhythm, the chaos, the beauty, it shaped my worldview. I had mentors early on who poured belief into me before I fully believed in myself. One of them was killed over a bag of weed when I was a teenager, and that loss changed how I moved in the world.

Musically, I’ve always been influenced by artists who use their voice with intention from Jay-Z, Tupac, Nas, Pharrell, Bob Marley, and Gil Scott-Heron. People who create that aren’t afraid of the truth. Culturally, I’m shaped by my Ghanaian roots and by Chicago’s long lineage of organizers, poets, and community leaders.

What have been some of the biggest accomplishments of your music career, and who have been some of the best artists that you’ve worked with?

I’ve had the privilege to work with industry giants Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pharrell, Pusha T, Wyclef, Skrillex, Chance, and a lot of others who shaped the sounds of the industry. Those collaborations taught me different angles of creativity and ways to express my own. Performing with legends like Gorillaz or stepping into a punk project with 93Punx also pushed me into new spaces.

One accomplishment I’m most proud of is releasing The Autobiography, because it was the most vulnerable I had ever been in my art up to that point. Releasing sundiata independently felt like a return to pure expression.

What parallels do you see between songwriting and entrepreneurship, and what are some useful lessons for both of those specialties?

Songwriting and entrepreneurship both start with a blank page. You’re building something from a feeling, something that didn’t exist before you imagined it. Both require courage, discipline, and the humility to revise the vision until it feels true.

In both art and business, authenticity is the advantage. If you’re chasing trends or trying to imitate, it falls flat. Both demand that you stay resilient with a willingness to fail, learn, and keep creating.

What were some defining moments when you realized your voice could be used for reasons beyond just music?

I first recognized it in moments when speaking honestly about what I was going through helped someone else feel less alone. Opening up about my own mental health made space for real connection, and seeing people resonate with that vulnerability showed me that my voice could do more than entertain, it could heal.

That realization deepened when I started doing direct work on the ground in Chicago, youth programs, criminal justice reform, community initiatives. The impact felt real. It felt like the next evolution of my voice.

As I began building businesses with purpose, that evolution became even clearer. I saw how entrepreneurship could be another way to create change, not just through what I said, but through what I built for my community. Music opens the door, but purpose decides what you do once you walk through it.

After many years as a recording artist, why did you enter the cannabis industry, and how was cannabis incorporated into your life and artistry prior to founding the 93 Boyz brand?

Cannabis has always been part of my creative process and my environment. It was a source of peace and reflection when the world around me felt loud or overwhelming. I also saw firsthand how the War on Drugs destroyed lives and neighborhoods that looked like mine.

Entering the industry wasn’t about chasing a trend, it was about correcting a history. If cannabis was going to become a legal industry, then the people who paid the highest price deserved space in that future. 93 Boyz came from that belief.

What do you think true social equity in the cannabis industry looks like, and what still needs to change? How can the Illinois market, and other state markets as well, include more social equity opportunities for aspiring canna-business owners?

True social equity goes beyond licenses. It’s access to capital, mentorship, supply chain opportunities, and the chance to build generational wealth, not just survive on the margins. It’s expungement support, community reinvestment, and making sure the people harmed by prohibition aren’t left behind now that cannabis is profitable.

Illinois has taken steps, but there’s still a long way to go. Equity has to be an active practice, not a paragraph in legislation.

93 Boyz is Chicago’s first Black-owned cannabis brand. What does that milestone mean to you personally and culturally?

It means visibility. It means possibility. It means honoring the people who came before me and never got the chance to stand where I’m standing. To be the first is meaningful, but my hope is that this is only the beginning, that our presence makes space for others to come in with their own ideas, their own roots, their own stories.

You’ve long been vocal about community impact, from youth programs to criminal justice reform. How does your advocacy tie into the 93 Boyz brand now?

93 Boyz was built on community, not just cannabis. The brand exists to push a return, a return of resources, opportunities, and dignity. Whether that’s supporting expungement efforts or local programs, the goal is the same: use business as a tool for healing and empowerment. The brand is an extension of the same values I’ve been pushing for years.

Furthermore, what impact do you hope 93 Boyz will have beyond the dispensary shelves? What are the most important values of the brand?

I want 93 Boyz to stand for authenticity and purpose. Beyond shelves, I want our work to shift the narrative around who deserves to participate in this industry. The brand’s core values are cultivation, community, and culture. If we’re not giving back or building forward, then we’re not doing it right.

Being a Black entrepreneur in cannabis comes with unique challenges. What barriers have you and the 93 Boyz brand faced, and how have you turned them into successful and beneficial breakthroughs?
Access to capital is the biggest barrier for almost every entrepreneur of color in this space. The system wasn’t designed with us in mind, so you have to find unconventional paths, build strategic partnerships, and stay rooted in community support.

Another barrier is perception. People often underestimate you until you prove otherwise. I’ve learned to turn that into fuel, to let the work speak until they can’t ignore it.

What advice would you give young entrepreneurs of color who want to enter this Industry?

Start with purpose, not pressure. Know your “why” before you chase your “how.” That’s how 93 Boyz came to life. I was speaking openly about cannabis inequity, and that honesty attracted the right people and the right ecosystem to make something meaningful. Having the right partner is essential and I was fortunate to join forces with an industry leader like Aeriz who aligned with my vision and purpose.

Build your community early, mentors, peers, collaborators. Study the business side as much as you study the plant. And don’t let gatekeeping convince you that you don’t belong here. The industry needs your ideas, your culture, and your voice.

What’s next for 93 Boyz? Any initiatives or partnerships you’re especially excited about?

We’re focused on expanding our footprint while staying rooted in what matters. More partnerships that align with our mission, more community-driven initiatives, more innovative strains and new product drops that feel authentic. We want to keep pushing forward without losing the soul of why we started.

Thank you for joining us, Vic! For more information on the 93 Boyz brand, please visit its website.