SXSW | Vic Mensa Discusses Yeezy Boosts, Kaytra and SX

Day 2 of SXSW solidified the fact in our minds that this week will be nucking futs. A slower day led to a fast-paced evening, starting with the Breakout West party, Western Canada's SXSW showcase. Schmoozing was the name of the game, but when free alcohol is involved it truly is less daunting. We truly understand the meaning of "liquid courage" now.

There is one qualm we do have with SXSW, however, and it was made apparent to us last night when we couldn't get into our show of choice at Clive Bar for the StubHub Experience. We would have had to wait two hours in order to get in, and that's even with our press badges. W. T. F. How can a festival that regularly charges exorbitant amounts for passes allow their patrons to be stranded outside venues filled by a crowd that either have day passes or have no accreditation at all. It is a serious flaw on the festivals part. Has SXSW truly become too big? We are starting to think that perhaps it has. That being said, the festival is so large that your primary plan can be followed by a plethora of others, sometimes taking turns for the better.

Regardless, despite our hiccup at Clive Bar, our night continued as we caught a couple of acts and freebies at the Yahoo! lounge before we headed off to catch our Nova Scotian friends In-Flight Safety. IFS catered to a smaller audience but held their ground. We definitely had a proud parent moment. With no time to spare, we rocked it over to Parish where heavily-blogged about artist Max Frost was scheduled to play. Frost, who sports a fratboyish image, hit the stage in an all-white ensemble (shoes included) that really made us question his stylistic choices. 1) It is not the '70s and 2) Can anyone other than Brad Pitt pull off a white suit? (Hint: the answer is no.) He was channelling Saturday Night Fever through his music as we were astonished by the high levels of funk in his set, slowing it down only for his most prevalent hit "Let Me Down Easy".

The crown jewel of the day though goes to Vic Mensa. After seeing him perform we are convinced that he is the improbable conception of Kanye West and Drake - the perfect combination of the two. Minus the frosted tips. He hit the stage with confidence and swag, playing every song everyone in the audience wanted to hear - including an exclusive version of his Kanye collab, "Wolves". By the end of his performance we were SCHVETZING and on a music high (no substances were abused) and for some reason felt brazen enough to storm up to him and ask a couple of questions. The result?

1) He is not taking interviews for the next 2-3 weeks because of confidentiality with Kanye and upcoming projects. PROJECTS. THAT IS PLURAL. You heard it here first: be prepared for more Kanye x Vic collabs. We did, however, manage to ask a couple (shallow) questions.

2) He was wearing Yeezy Boosts - he confirms that they are "HELLA comfortable".

3) He enjoyed working Kaytra - "He's chill".

Despite our amazing interview skills, we left the venue with a signed business card, a (questionable) photo, and a well of information and admiration for Vic. Can't wait to keep going...Watch for EWM at the Boiler Room x Ray Ban special TONIGHT and follow us on Insta and Twitter (@eastwestmelody) for live updates!