Vic Mensa shared a heartfelt, “real” message about his mental health and how he is impacted by the music industry in the “streaming era.” In a clip shared across his social media platforms, the Chicago native explored not only his own journey, but questioned how his peers may also be faced with similar circumstances.
“immense fear in posting this, but it’s real,” declared the 31-year-old in the caption on Instagram. “i know so many of you make music, & all of us love music. are we caring for the people that create it? we often discuss the economic inequity in the music industry, but a lesser addressed dimension of the conversation is the way that it affects the mental health of artists. on this day, i just felt it all.”
He continued, “art is the soul of humanity. as not only a creator of it, but first and foremost a lover of it, a fan, i look forward to us as a collective community finding new ways for this thang to exist.”
In the clip, the “Blue Eyes” rapper went deeper into his emotions as he teared up while discussing the matter.
“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,” he expressed through tears.
“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.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 08: Vic Mensa attends Los Angeles Premiere Screening Of Paramount+ And Showtime Series “The Chi” Season 7 at St. Helen’s House on May 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)
According to MarketWatch, Spotify claimed to have paid a record $10 billion in royalties last year, with 500 artists receiving over $1 million in royalties. However, this large sum is not the case for a majority of artists.
As Spotify noted, its 10,000th-best-paid artist on its platform received royalties of $131,000 last year, up from $34,000 a decade ago. MarketWatch explained that means just a little over 4% of musicians whose work is featured on the platform can expect to live comfortably. Additionally, about 110,000 acts, just about half of all on the platform, got $5,000 total for the year.
Leave a comment