On the heels of his L.A. Leakers freestyle that stormed social media, Vince Staples has dropped his self-titled album. Ahead of its release, the project was already receiving rave reviews from critics and the album does not disappoint. The California rapper’s off-the-cuff remarks in interviews or conversations have gone down in meme history, but his prolific delivery and innovative approach to lyricism are why Staples is hailed as one of the most respected artists in the Rap game.
In an interview last week, Staples spoke about the essence of his music. “I wasn’t used to being comfortable at all. I didn’t like making music,” he said. “If you listen to a lot of the older stuff, it was very monotonous and a little offbeat. I was just unenthused, because it was a weird position to be in. When I first started doing shows, it wasn’t easy. I would be checking my phone mid-performance and not looking at the crowd.”
“I still don’t like when people look at me or talk to me,” he continued. “I was never an outgoing person. I’m still not. It was something I had to learn. I used to go on tour and Schoolboy Q would be like, “Your music’s too slow, you need to do this, you need to do that.” And it’s like, do you have to have music that people jump around to? Personally, I don’t jump around, I don’t dance, I’m calm all the time.”
The album hosts one feature from Fousheé. Stream Vince Staples and let us know what you think.
Tracklist
1. Are You With That?
2. Law of Averages
3. Sundown Town
4. The Shining
5. Taking Trips
6. The Apple & The Tree
7. Take Me Home ft. Fousheé
8. Lil Fade
9. Lakewood Mall
10. MHM
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