Vic Mensa Slept Outside in Chicago to Raise Money For the Homeless

On Tuesday night, the 29-year-old musician spent a night sleeping outside in brutal winter conditions. And his goal? To bring awareness to the city's homelessness crisis, all while raising money for the construction of a new homeless shelter alongside his friend, activist Englewood Barbie.

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“We outside tonight in Chicago sleeping underneath the viaduct raising money to help my homegirl Englewood Barbie build her own shelter to provide for the unhoused of Chicago,” Mensa said, per Vibe. “It’s cold as fuck but it’s wild to think that people have to live outside every night."

The "Strawberry Louis Vuitton" rapper continued, "In the wintertime, people freeze to death so we’re taking this moment to honor that experience and do our part to work to make the city a better place.”

According to TMZ, the awareness effort has garnered around $126,000 so far via Givebutter.com, with all of the donations are going towards the $1 million goal for the future shelter. However, Mensa and the group he camped out with made sure to also hand out hot meals in the meantime, including a tasty spread of what appeared to be beans, collard greens and some stewed meat.

In a subsequent Instagram post about the night, Englewood Barbie made it clear that Mensa "played a very instrumental part in the sleep out."

"He did more than make videos, he came out, brought his friends, & even his dog. set up all the tents and just showed mad love," she said, jokingly adding "and made sure I woke up to get the kids to school."

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A post shared by DrAleta Englewoodbarbie (@englewoodbarbie)

You can read TMZ's entire report about Mensa's fundraising efforts here and donate to the cause over at Givebutter.com. View a gallery of exclusive photos, below.

Photo via Getty / Jason Mendez