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Vic Mensa Is Building His Own Table With a Brand New Podcast

The Chicago vet turns his legendary Orange Tree conversations into a full-blown show — and the guest list is already stacked.

Vic Mensa Is Building His Own Table With a Brand New Podcast
Photo: XXL Mag
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The Desk

August 13, 2026 · 2 min read

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Vic Mensa has always been the type to have the real conversation — not the radio-friendly version, not the PR-approved version. The real one. And now he's giving that energy its own home.

According to XXL, Vic Mensa has launched a new podcast, and if the early guest roster is any indication, this thing is about to be essential listening. We're talking Chance The Rapper and Rapsody already in the building. That's not filler — that's a statement.

The Orange Tree Energy, Expanded

If you've been paying attention to Vic's lane these last few years, you know the Orange Tree isn't just a vibe — it's a philosophy. It's that back-porch, no-filter, real-talk energy that hip-hop used to be built on before everything got algorithm-chased and brand-safe.

Turning that into a podcast format is a smart move. Audio gives you room to breathe. No hot takes forced into 60-second clips. No tweet threads cutting the nuance in half. Just artists actually talking — which, honestly, is rarer than it should be in 2024.

Vic has always operated slightly outside the mainstream machine, and that independence gives him credibility that money can't manufacture. When Chance sits across from him, it's not a press run. When Rapsody pulls up, it's not a promo stop. These are conversations, and listeners can feel the difference.

Why This Matters for Hip-Hop Media

Let's be real: the podcast space is oversaturated. Everyone's got a mic and a ring light. But not everyone has the relationships, the lived experience, or the cultural fluency to make it actually worth your time.

Vic Mensa does. He's been in the trenches — from Savemoney to social activism to navigating the industry's pressure cooker firsthand. He's not interviewing these artists as a fan. He's talking to them as a peer. That peer-to-peer dynamic is what separates a good podcast from a great one.

The question now is how consistent the output is and whether the show finds a distribution home that gives it the reach it deserves. The bones are clearly there. The guests are clearly there. Vic just has to keep showing up — which, historically, has been the one variable with him.

But if this podcast hits its stride? It could genuinely become one of the more important hip-hop interview platforms out right now. No cap.

Keep your ears open. The Vic Mensa Show is in session.

Editor's note: Written in response to reporting by XXL Mag. Read the original at https://www.xxlmag.com/vic-mensa-the-vic-mensa-show/

Editor's note

This piece is original commentary from THACLIPPERS. Written in response to coverage by XXL Mag. Read the original report

Updated 4 min ago

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