Vic Mensa Gifts Black-Woman-Owned Bookstore One Year Of Rent

Chicago hometown hero Vic Mensa recently decided to amplify his city by awarding one Black-woman-owned bookstore with a check to cover their rent for the year.

Self-described “African-American book store,” Da Book Joint, took to Instagram on Wednesday, March 13, to express its gratitude for the $7,200 check it received from Mensa and his community-driven cannabis brand 93 Boyz.

“Hey family! This has officially been the best Wednesday ever! We are thankful. We are honored. We are grateful. We are truly living a dream right now,” the book store shared in the lengthy caption.

Thanks to Mensa’s generous offer, Da Book Store will have its rent covered for the next year.

“Thank you for seeing our mission and helping us stand in our purpose. You are that breathe [sic] of fresh air we needed,” the caption stated. “His generosity ensures our doors stay open for all book lovers and dreamers. This act of kindness touches our hearts deeply and reaffirms the power of community and support. Thank you, Vic Mensa, for lighting up our world with hope and generosity!”

Mensa launched his “premium gas” weed brand in August 2022 to reinvest in the Chicago community. Serving as Chicago’s first Black-owned cannabis brand, 93 Boyz extends its service beyond marijuana with its core mission to give back to the community that raised the Chicago native.

“With a vision of lifting up the neighborhoods around him while lifting spirits across the state. That vision—paired with the heaviest, headiest gas available anywhere—is what fuels 93 Boyz today,” the company website states.

Mensa followed up Da Book Store’s announcement with a video interview highlighting the store’s mother-daughter duo owners and their mission to show kids in the community the importance of reading and seeing books that represent them. After revealing their struggles with paying rent and facing closure, the Chicago rapper blessed them with a personal check to cover the next year of rent.

“Our mission has always been creative strategies to the things we face as a people & a city, knowledge/information/literacy being one of the most significant challenges,” Mensa wrote.

“The first impact-based initiative 93 ever did actually was called Books Before Bars where we sent books into the jails & prisons so this was right up our alley.”

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