Vince Staples

Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2021

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2021 will be remembered for these projects. Continue reading…

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

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Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.

Vince Staples Breaks Down His ‘Pokemon 25’ Song ‘Got ‘Em’ With Help From Snorlax

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Vince Staples might be best-known for his sardonic social media personality and scathing, nihilistic gangsta raps, but he’s also quite the pitchman — remember his hilarious Sprite commercials? The Long Beach native puts all three skills to use on Pokemon 25: The Album, a companion compilation of tracks celebrating the generations-spanning multimedia franchise’s 25th anniversary. Vince contributes “Got ‘Em” to the album, which also features such names as J Balvin, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, and Tierra Whack and drops October 15.

Above, in a rare glimpse of earnestness from Vince, he breaks down the “evolution” — hehe — of “Got ‘Em” along with some “help” from Snorlax. Of course, if you know anything about Pokemon — which, as Vince points out in the video, you probably do — Snorlax’s assistance amounts to basically napping in the corner while Vince recounts his experiences playing the video game and watching the cartoon growing up. As he puts it, “It’s important to tap into your inner child or just not be jaded. There’s always room for excitement or fun or optimism if you can keep hold of the things that were important to you in childhood, it’ll put you into a good place.”

If that feels like a big swing from the rapper’s usual stance on such things, it might be time to go back and review his old work — despite the running thread of fatalistic acceptance of his dark surroundings, there have always been glimpses of optimism as seen through his mischievous sense of humor. That humor pops up in his Pokemon explainer, too; the latter portion of the clip consists of Vince comparing his “nap ability” to Snorlax’s and determining that despite being an expert in catching 40 winks whenever possible, the rotund road napper has a lot more experience in sawing logs at a moment’s notice.

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You can watch Vince Staples talk up Pokemon 25 above and pre-order the album here.

Vince Staples And Alchemist Reunite On The Jazzy ‘6 Five Heartbeats’

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It’s been a while since we heard from The Alchemist or Vince Staples about that project they supposedly worked on recently but as a consolation prize, Vince appears on the second installment of Alc’s EP series, This Thing Of Ours, which dropped today. Vince features on the song “6 Five Heartbeats,” spitting a ferocious verse in that languid delivery of his over a jazzy beat that belies the menace of Staples’ lyrics. “You had a blog, we had Berettas,” Vince sneers on the intro. The combination of the two always makes magic — the EP they’ve completed can’t come soon enough.

Vince revealed that the pair had been working together during an interview in which Vince said he recorded “30 verses on 30 beats,” blaming a delay in its release on the fact that “Alchemist moves at a very cryptic pace — he’s hella slow.” However, Alchemist refuted that account on Twitter, announcing “Vince is full of sh*t. I’ve had a finished 6 song EP with JUST HIM for over 3 months!! MIXED! Plus mad songs with him and Thebe [Earl Sweatshirt].” This got fans more hyped up but since then, the two have kept mostly mum about their plans for all these songs. Whether “6 Five Heartbeats” is one of those coveted verses remains to be seen, but it certainly bodes well for the eventual project.

Listen to “6 Five Heartbeats” above and stream This Thing Of Ours, Vol. 2, out now via EMPIRE.

Ice Cube And Vince Staples Salute The Late Comedian And ‘Friday’ Actor Anthony Johnson

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Today, TMZ reported the death of actor Anthony “AJ” Johnson, who was best known for his roles in Friday and House Party in the 1990s, after he was found unconscious in a store at the age of 55. Due to his roles in a number of cult classic films and TV shows throughout the decades since, he was a figure of some stature in the world of hip-hop — as evidenced by the abundance of tributes from rappers like Bow Wow, Ice Cube, and Vince Staples.

“Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away,” Ice Cube wrote. ” Naturally funny dude who was straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in Last Friday.”

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Bow Wow, meanwhile, revealed that he owes his entire career to AJ, who picked him out of the crowd at a show in Ohio during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s The Chronic tour as a child.

Vince Staples, meanwhile, simply shared a clip of one of AJ’s iconic roles.

Among Johnson’s other memorable roles, the actor/comedian also appeared in B*A*P*S, Def Jam’s How to Be a Player, and The Players Club. He also appeared in the video for Dr. Dre’s “Dre Day” as Sleazy-E, a parody of Eazy-E, with whom Dre was feuding at the time.

Vince Staples Gives A Somber ‘Tonight Show’ Performance Of ‘Take Me Home’ With Fousheé

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Call me biased, but Vince Staples’ self-titled album is still my pick for the best of the year so far. It’s incisive and vivid, paranoid and nostalgic, witty and world-weary, all at the same time. A perfect microcosm of the album’s worldview is its Fousheé-featuring single “Take Me Home,” which Vince and Fousheé stopped by The Tonight Show to perform Wednesday.

As stripped-down as the album is, the circular stage the two artists share is fittingly bare as they sit back-to-back under blue light, delivering their straight-faced performances directly into the camera. The stage itself rotates to bring each to the foreground for their respective verses/hooks.

Vince’s appearance on The Tonight Show is just one of the examples of his newfound commitment to his artistry, which he says he wanted to highlight on the new album. He recently performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts — again, with Fousheé, the lone feature on the album, as his special guest — and he plans to hit the road with Tyler The Creator on the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour. He also popped up in a cameo in Tyler’s Converse commercial, increasing his visibility as he enters the next phase of his career.

Watch Vince Staples’ Tonight Show performance of “Take Me Home” featuring Fousheé above.

Vince Staples’ New Song ‘Got ‘Em’ Shouts Out Pokémon Characters Mew And Raichu

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Though he’s just coming off the release of a new self-titled album, Vince Staples, the Long Beach rapper is sharing new music today. The new one-off track, “Got ‘Em,” is part of the a new collaborative EP that Capitol Records is releasing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon,, with another installment coming later this month. The Red EP also features contributions from Cyn, Mabel, and Zhu, and an accompanying album, Pokemon 25: The Album includes songs from Katy Perry and Post Malone, memorably covering Hootie And The Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You.”

“I’ve always been a fan of Pokémon, so it was particularly special to be asked to take part in this 25th-anniversary celebration,” Vince Staples of the EP in a press release. “I’m excited for people to hear ‘Got ‘Em,’ and hope the song resonates with fans, especially those who grew up with Pokémon like I did.” The eerie but celebratory song slots nicely along the new music Staples has already shared this year, and shouts out Pokemon characters Mew and Raichu in the lyrics.

Hear the new song above and look for the The Blue EP out later this month, with the Pokemon 25: The Album coming this fall.

Tyler The Creator Announces His ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ Tour With Vince Staples And Kali Uchis

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Tyler The Creator‘s Call Me If You Get Lost made waves as Tyler’s unofficial entry to DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz canon and now, he taking the album on the road, along with a few friends. The Call Me If You Get Lost Tour kicks off in February 2022 in San Diego, California, then continues through 33 more cities, concluding in Seattle, Washington in April.

Coming along with Tyler are friends and collaborators Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, and Teezo Touchdown, the latter of whom appeared on the album on “Runitup” after Tyler tweeted about him last summer. Kali Uchis has collaborated with Tyler on the songs “Perfect,” “After The Storm,” and “See You Again,” while Vince Staples got his early start on songs with members of Tyler’s Odd Future collective and appears in Tyler’s recent Converse ad, representing one of the groups of people known for rocking the iconic Chuck Taylors.

Tyler also recently performed at Lollapalooza, while Vince Staples recently released his self-titled album, and Kali Uchis recently announced her sophomore album “Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros).”

Check out the tour’s dates below.

2/10 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
2/11 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
2/12 — Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob Ultra Arena
2/14 — El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
2/16 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/18 — St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
2/19 — Kansas City, MO @ Cable Dahmer Arena
2/20 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
2/22 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
2/24 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
2/27 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
2/28 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
3/3 — Worcester, MA @ DCU Center
3/4 — Norfolk, VA @ Chartway Arena
3/6 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
3/7 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
3/9 — Montreal, QC @ Place Bell
3/11 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
3/12 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
3/13 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
3/16 — Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
3/18 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
3/19 — Tampa, FL @ Yuengling Center
3/20 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena
3/23 — Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum
3/25 — Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena
3/27 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
3/29 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
3/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
4/1 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
4/2 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
4/4 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
4/7 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
4/8 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Alchemist Says Vince Staples Is ‘Full Of Sh*t’ And They Have A Whole EP Finished Already

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Veteran rap producer The Alchemist stoked the fires of anticipation in rap fans for his rumored joint project with Vince Staples after he tweeted his refutation of the Long Beach rapper’s claims that he takes “hella long” to complete work. Vince himself sparked the rumors when he appeared on Ebro’s Apple Music Radio show to make the claim that he recorded “30 verses on 30 beats” during a smoked-out session with Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt. Vince said he got tired of waiting, so he recorded Vince Staples with Kenny Beats in the meantime.

However, Alchemist told fans Vince is “full of sh*t” today on Twitter. “I’ve had a finished 6 song EP with JUST HIM for over 3 months!!” he insisted. “MIXED! Plus mad songs with him and Thebe.” Alchemist has been known to send Rap Twitter into frenzies in the past, such as when he suggested he and Earl hid a joint album on YouTube under a fake name.

Of course, Vince was rumored to be releasing multiple projects this year, so it’s entirely possible that this was always going to be the second project and this back-and-forth is just their elaborate way of promoting it (weirder things have happened). Either way, rap fans who were already champing at the bit to hear more are now absolutely ecstatic to learn that the sessions Vince mentioned had possibly born fruit.

Now that this tidbit has been revealed, I guess we’ll have to see if Earl chimes in to make his own outrageous claim, at which point Rap Twitter might simply implode. If nothing else, this whole episode proves that rap in 2021 has been more fun than ever.