Vince Staples - Self-Titled

 

On his latest self-titled record, Staples is at his most personal, reflecting on his past life at Long Beach, a chapter filled with gang violence. 


The record starts well with the opener 'ARE YOU WITH THAT?'. Kenny Beats' enjoyable frostbiting instrumental is a suitable platform for an almost desensitized Staples asking his younger self, 'are you with that?' Was he comfortable with the lifestyle of being a thug, wanting a plug to get a little bread? Clearly not, as when Staples recalls those days and visit his Crips, he is reminded of his dead homies under the ground. 


Then, over an ominous production sampling from Reske's 'WILD DREAM', Staples chillingly recounts a moment of being betrayed in 'LAW OF THE AVERAGES.' His traitor 'caught like a catfish' and Staples got him 'falling and screaming like a Baptist.' If you fuck Staples out of his racks, he will put you on a shirt. In 'SUNDOWN TOWN,' Staples seemingly talks of being desensitized to gang violence and the post-traumatic stress disorder that came as a result. Over 808s and hi-hats of vertigo, Staples recalls falling in love with guns and the sounds of it, but now away from that gang life, Staples sadly finds himself too paranoid to shake the hands of his fans. 


The hi-hats are more rattling, and the 808s are more thumping in 'THE SHINING'. Here, Vince, maintaining his cold flow, expresses gratitude to be away from a city burning, unable to be saved by no sermon. Now he makes his mama proud as he is on greener grasses and not making shit for the masses. 'TAKING TRIPS' sees Vince continuing to depict the brutality of his past time at Long Beach. He hates July with the high crime. He had to bring the heat in his trunks when he is at the beaches. Unfortunately, 'TAKING TRIPS' does include one of the weaker hooks on the record due to its somewhat repetitiveness. 


Following 'THE APPLE & THE TREE', a spoken-word interlude from Vince's mother that showcases the Staples family loyalty, Vince, despite showing gratitude for being away from Long Beach earlier, is still trapped there as he keeps coming back. Over Kenny's minimalistic 808s and soulful guitar, Vince's paranoia remains going south on the PCH. He is anxious. Anyone could be working with the police or plan on killing him. The track also includes a fruitful feature appearance from Foushee, as she delivers a blissful chorus. The record ends nicely with the banger, 'MHM'. Kenny's production here is sweetly airy with its ethereal synths and punchy 808s. Meanwhile, Staples rides the instrumental comfortably, delivering a catchy chorus. 


In his self-titled record, Vince's desensitized flow was an excellent element in introspecting on the gang life at Long Beach and how it has affected the rapper to this day. Despite the resulting paranoia and trauma, Staples is still attached to Long Beach as it is still his home. Furthermore, Kenny Beats did outstanding on the production side. Providing impactful and stripped back instrumentals to complete a compelling experience of an album. 


Best Track(s): ARE YOU WITH THAT, MHM, SUNDOWN TOWN. 


8/10


Follow Me On Twitter for more opinions on music and to keep up to date with my reviews: https://twitter.com/AsianNorthern

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DJ Khaled - Khaled Khaled

Image
  It is a decent start for DJ Khaled's new album, 'Khaled Khaled', with 'THANKFUL.' Jeremih and Lil Wayne are satisfactory in their performances over inspiring horns, guitar riffs and with a blissful choir. However, 'THANKFUL' is too long with its 5 minutes and 38 seconds runtime. In 'EVERY CHANCE I GET', both Lil Durk and Lil Baby deliver satisfying, braggadocious verses over Tay Keith's nocturnal trap instrumental. Unfortunately, the track's hook, delivered by Lil Baby, is underwhelmingly drab. Another poor hook appears in 'BIG PAPER'. Cardi B is frustratingly off-beat as she phones in the hook. Fortunately, the album does somewhat immediately recover with 'WE GOING CRAZY'. The parade of horns within the track's instrumental is enjoyable, likewise for Migos' triplet flow verse. Additionally, H.E.R's vocal performance here is satisfactory. In 'I DID IT,' the sampling of the guitar riff from Derek and The D
Read more

Fred Again... - Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)

Image
  'Fred Again...', the British producer, has crafted the instrumentals of some of the highlights of Stormzy's 'Heavy is the Head' album, such as 'Own It' and 'Pop Boy.' Additionally, he has worked with the likes of Headie One, notably through the collaborative mixtape, 'Gang,' and Ed Sheeran. So, how does Fred deliver here with this solo debut effort? After the short and sweet opener 'April 14th 2020,' Fred delivers the pleasant love ballad with 'Kyle (I Found You)'. Interestingly, FRED samples the spoken word poem 'Love in the Time of Undeath' by Kyle Tran Myhre. A fruitful practice, as the sample corresponds well with the track's satisfyingly euphoric production. In 'Dermot (See Yourself in My Eyes)', the revving percussion, broken piano pattern and the sampling of Dermot Kennedy's 'Lost' is a sonically compelling combination. Following the relaxing 'Yasminah (See Your Face Again)' and
Read more

J.Cole - The Off-Season

Image
  'The Off-Season', the sixth studio album from J.Cole, begins decently with the opening '95. South.' Over a serviceable instrumental, sampling Jay-z's 'U Don't Know,' J.Cole is humorously braggadocious. Anyone that tries to 'fuck with Cole' would be 'impeding on their health', as the North Carolina rapper 'could put an M right' on their heads, making them feel like 'Luigi.' Furthermore, the sampling of Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' 'Put Yo Hood Up' in the track's outro is a hyping force. After the short and satisfactory track in 'Amari', J.Cole calls upon 21 Savage and Morray to deliver a sonically pleasant beam of perseverance in 'my. life.' Over a soulful vocal sampled instrumental, J.Cole is satisfyingly intense and passionate in his flow as he is 'spiralling up like a rich person's staircase,' rising from a family tree with a 'history of users that struggle with demons
Read more