[2] Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip hop groups Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing his debut solo mixtape, Innanetape (2013).

Despite limited mainstream success himself, he has collaborated with high-profile artists including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Pusha T, Wyclef Jean, and Skrillex, among others.

[6] Mensa has been involved in political activism and charitable efforts in his hometown of Chicago, being heavily outspoken on the issue of gun violence.

With one guest feature from American singer Ty Dolla Sign, the EP tackled issues such as the Flint water crisis, the murder of Laquan McDonald, and self-inflicted wounds.

[44][45] In January 2019, Mensa formed a punk rock and rap band named 93Punx, which subsequently released a cover of the Cranberries song "Zombie".

[49] Mensa returned in August 2020 with his first single of the year, "No More Teardrops", featuring Malik Yusef and Wyatt Waddell, a song tackling police brutality, street crime, corruption and the prison system.

[50] Mensa would later release his fifth extended play, V Tape, on August 21, 2020, which features from Snoh Alaegra, SAINt JHN, BJ Chicago Kid, Peter Cottontale and Eryn Allen Kane.

[52] The film would go on to be nominated for 8 Canadian Screen Awards subsequently winning 5 of them, including Best Original Screenplay[53] On March 26, 2021, Mensa put out the album I Tape, again under Roc Nation.

The album further explored the themes of the American Dream that riddled his prior works, discussing the shattering of expectations brought on by the reality of systematic abuse.

[54] The album quickly garnered commendation from rap news outlets for its unabashed condemnation and meditation on racial injustice in America and its message of prison reform.

In October 2018, as part of his BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, Mensa dissed late rapper XXXTentacion, referencing his domestic abuse charges and mocking his murder.

[60]On January 15, 2022, Mensah was arrested at the Dulles Airport by the Metro Police after Border Protection discovered LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, capsules and gummies.

[61] In interviews with XXL and Complex, Mensa cited hip hop artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Earl Sweatshirt, A Tribe Called Quest, Timbaland, Eminem, Biggie Smalls, Missy Elliott, Lupe Fiasco, UGK, J Dilla, The Pharcyde, DMX, Nas, 2Pac, Hieroglyphics, De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Wayne, Kid Rock, and Snoop Dogg as musical influences.

[62][63] In 2013, XXL called his breakthrough mixtape Innanetape "lyrical nourishment" and commented on his ability to "bend words at will, cramming syllables into lines with obvious glee.