Vince Staples - Vince Staples: Review
Vince Staples
is a California rapper who has been revitalizing the ethos of gangster rap for over a decade now since first emerging in the early 2010's. He has released two critically acclaimed studio albums as well as a number of equally loved EP's and mixtapes, but we hadn't heard from Vince since 2018 save for a few throwaway singles. The self-titled record is his first proper studio album since 2017's Big Fish Theory and features wall to wall production from Kenny Beats.
Review By Lav:
I love Vince Staples. His debut album Summertime 06 has always been a personal favorite and landed prominently on my albums of the decade list last year. Even though I thought its follow-up was just okay when I first reviewed it all those years ago I think time has done it justice and I enjoy it more now than I did then. This being couples with a trio of wonderful short form projects in Hell Can Wait, Prima Donna and FM! and Vince has one of the more consistent and exciting discographies in all of modern hip hop. I was kind of surprised to see him take to much time off considering the otherwise prolific schedule with which he had been releasing music. But I was even more surprised to see that this self-titled album was just 22 minutes long, running pretty much the same length as many of his EPs. I was hoping that meant that there was something special or thematic about Vince Staples that made it clearly an album rather than just another collection of tracks. But after listening to it even though I like more of these songs than I don't, I see this as one of the least memorable and least significant moments in Vince's discography so far.
This thing is a desperately short 22 minutes with a whopping 10 tracks to make up that time. There isn't a single song on the record that runs longer than 3 minutes. Even more astonishing is that two of these tracks are short interludes. The first of which at least adds a stark realism to Vince's tales of street life but the second of which is difficult to make much of anything out of. The record also had two singles released beforehand and they're the first two songs in the tracklist. Are You With That? has grown on me slightly since I was initially underwhelmed by it. I like the distant warbled beat and Vince's meditative performance that's less cutthroat and more just incredibly cold. The weird part if how far up in the mix Vince in when he already sounds like he's like a centimeter away from the mic that gives his voice this extremely unflattering intensity that doesn't fit with the song at all. I think the tune at its core is good but it certainly could have been more favorably assembled. Law Of Averages was the lead single and thankfully I really enjoy it. The beat and vocal samples both have hints of James Blake which is always a big compliment and Vince is chilling in his descriptive verses and definitive hook. This track features some of his best wordplay and even though the flows sway back and forth in a more formless way I've find them extremely compelling and memorable since the first time I heard the song.
There are a handful of other highlights on the record. Taking Trips is one of the righter and more inconsequential tracks here and I find it pretty pleasant as Vince rattles off bars about tripping while also performing his own hilarious backing vocals. The song is simple but appealing and infectious nonetheless. Take Me Home comes out of nowhere to be one of my favorite songs on the record with Vince delivering one of his best performances of the tracklist. He is lending his extremely recognizable vocals to some super slick bars but the subject matter is just as dark as ever. There is also a wonderful featured hook on the track from a singer with great raspy vocals who works her way very steadily through the refrain. It's definitely one of the best songs here. Finally there's Lil Fade which features one of the more recognizable beats on the record with Kenny delivering stuttering percussion and a distant melody that I can't even identify what instrument or effect it is but it sounds great. Vince also drops one of his best hooks on the record with a multi-faceted and surprisingly catchy hook that overcomes its wordiness to achieve hookiness.
Sundown Town has all the makings of a great track but it misses the landing. It has a trap flavored beat but one that's more minimal than your average radio affair and for good reason. Lyrically the song explores the desperation of poverty and gang violence insisting that the hustle goes from sun up to sun down. The big problem I have with the track is the mixing on the hook which makes it quite literally hard to even hear it's so far down relative to the rest of the song. Given how much thematic importance it has to the track it strikes me as a really weird decision. MHM is the closing track and it has a beat that feels like it was computer generated from the rap caviar Spotify playlist save for a few slick switch-ups that don't go anywhere. Thankfully Vince delivers on his performance once again pushing up in the mix but used to better effect here to make Vince's street dealings feel even darker across two verses and a hook that could basically serve as another verse.
The only song on the record that I don't have anything positive to say about, aside from the Lakewood Mall interlude, is The Shining. The beat is once again trap style but has some really annoying keys hanging over everything that make the song feel blown out in its upper register. This is also one of the weaker vocal performances from Vince though he doesn't have much to work with given the loose refrains that make the song feel so improvised and low impact.
Vince Staples is certainly a Vince Staples album. Aside from being right there in the title the lyrical themes and cold delivery we've come to expect from Vince are here in spades. If anything he has expanded on his more indulgent vocal side with some of his softest and most reserved vocal performances to date showing up here. Despite the inconsistent beats and mundane structures across this record I do thing Vince's gift as a lyricist and performer do shine through pretty regularly. Given this platform a lesser rapper could have crashed and burned but Vince delivers a number of great tracks here, occasionally all on his own. But I do have to admit that the shaky platform on which this entire album is built does make it one of my most underwhelming experiences with an artist who I've always had such high expectations for. Unlike some of his more instantaneous hits, or projects that have proved to be ahead of their time, Vince Staples feels contrived, unambitious and occasionally a little uninspired. What direction Vince will go in next I don't think anyone can guess, but he has certainly earned out attention to whatever it is, even if this is one of his most forgettable outings. 6/10
This cover is simple, and obviously recognizable. When you get this close to a face it can be unnerving but because of the color and the halftone pattern used to make the image it feels very tame. I'm not a huge fan of it conceptually but I do really love the halftone style. There could've been some vertical text up the side of the piece in the same pattern to give some branding to increase its effectiveness, it just might not be the best choice for a cover. 5/10
