Chicago rapper, activist, and multidisciplinary artist Vic Mensa is expanding the candid, thought-provoking discussions that defined his viral online presence into a full podcast format.

On August 11, 2026, Mensa and media outlets including The FADER announced the launch of The Vic Mensa Show, a new weekly series inspired by his Webby Award-winning “Orange Tree Series.”

The podcast will premiere on August 26 with fellow Chicago artist Chance the Rapper as the inaugural guest. Episodes will drop every subsequent Wednesday, with a planned 24-episode first season.

The show arrives in partnership with Mass Appeal and through Mensa’s new multidisciplinary production company, ORANJ, with additional production support noted from Blank Square Productions and Pickup Media. Episodes will be available across major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Mensa’s “Orange Tree Series” gained widespread attention for its distinctive format and substance. In the videos, the artist stood outdoors near an orange tree, often peeling and eating fruit while delivering monologues on race, socioeconomic conditions, America’s complicated history, politics, culture, and the human condition.

About the Orange Tree Series

The series combined radical ideas with humor, honesty, and vulnerability, resonating with online audiences and earning a People’s Voice Webby Award. It also drew parodies and broader cultural conversation, solidifying Mensa’s reputation as an outspoken voice willing to address difficult subjects directly.

In a statement accompanying the podcast announcement, Mensa reflected on the evolution of his work. “The Orange Tree illustrated for me the transcendent possibilities of conversation: a space for the discussion of radical ideas, humor, honesty and vulnerability,” he said. “What began as a conversation with my community online is now expanding, through The Vic Mensa Show, to include great minds that I respect across many disciplines.”

He further described the project’s roots: “As I further unpeeled the ideas that hip-hop introduced me to, the conversation expanded beyond song, finding its way into my writings in outlets like The New York Times and Time, and ultimately into my Orange Tree series. From that evolution, The Vic Mensa Show was born – a space to deepen the dialogue by involving artists, thinkers, loved ones and brilliant minds across mediums in the many discussions I’ve been holding about the human condition.”

The first season’s guest list signals the breadth of those conversations. Alongside Chance the Rapper, confirmed or featured participants include R&B singer Durand Bernarr, rapper Rapsody, writer and producer Lena Waithe, poet Aja Monet, cultural critic Van Lathan Jr., and additional figures from entertainment and activism.

Trailers and promotional clips preview a mix of tones, from lighthearted moments such as Mensa playfully roasting Chance to more emotional exchanges, including one in which Rapsody appears to wipe tears from Mensa’s eyes.

A nearly two-minute teaser released with the announcement leans into self-aware humor. Mensa references the success of the Orange Tree videos and the Webby win before a comedic sequence in which he is essentially “kidnapped” and told the world demands he start a podcast.

His response-“You really think the world needs another man with a podcast mic?”-acknowledges the crowded field while underscoring his intention to carve out a distinct space focused on depth rather than volume.

At 33, Mensa has built a career that spans music, writing, acting, film, and community work. He first rose to prominence with projects such as Innanetape and the 2017 album The Autobiography, later releasing Victor in 2023 and the independent EP sundiata in 2025. Collaborations have included work with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, and Pusha T. Beyond music, he has appeared in shows including The Chi, South Side, and Bel-Air, and has directed or produced visual projects that earned festival recognition.

His activism and charitable efforts in Chicago through initiatives tied to education, community support, and social justice have remained a consistent thread.

The move into podcasting places Mensa in a growing pipeline of hip-hop artists who have turned to long-form conversation as a complementary medium.

While many shows emphasize industry talk, comedy, or lifestyle, The Vic Mensa Show is positioned to continue the socio-political and cultural focus that defined the Orange Tree videos, now enriched by dialogue with peers and thinkers.

Promotional activity around the launch has already begun. Mensa was scheduled to appear on The Breakfast Club to discuss the podcast and a forthcoming album expected in 2027.

Coverage from Billboard, Complex, Revolt, and other outlets highlighted both the humorous trailer and the serious intent behind the project.

For listeners familiar with Mensa’s previous work, the podcast represents a natural progression: the solitary, tree-side monologues evolve into shared conversations that invite additional perspectives. For new audiences, it offers an entry point into an artist who has consistently used his platform to examine larger systems and personal experience.

With its August 26 debut and weekly cadence thereafter, The Vic Mensa Show aims to sustain the kind of unfiltered dialogue that first captured attention under an orange tree.

The coming season will reveal how those exchanges unfold across 24 episodes and beyond.