Hell Can Wait is Vince Staples’ best short release to date and his true-to-form introduction as a Def Jam artist. It’s proof that he can improve for a new audience without compromising to reach them.
Hell Can Wait is a debut for rapper Vince Staples, but it’s really a refinement, the end result of a years long search for the right producer. His jump to Def Jam is a case study in the enduring merit of good old-fashioned artist development.
In the end, despite its brevity—seven songs, 24 minutes—Hell Can Wait is a dense and rewarding EP from a rapper who is refreshingly serious about his craft.
Hell Can Wait succeeds as a reintroduction of sorts, showing Staples as a more focused and forward-moving artist who will surely outlive "them red roses."
Hell Can Wait might be the “aha!” moment in Staples’ young career— he’s brilliantly creating his own mythos right in front of our eyes.
The fact that it requires a poetry-style analysis to fully dig into Vince Staples’ viewpoints speaks spades for his skill. Yet, the mark of his origins runs deep.
West Coast rapper Vince Staples draws up some of his best singles yet on the Hell Can Wait EP.
Short and sweet, with awesome beats that complement Vince's flows. This EP was my first introduction to Vince, and his later projects would solidify him as one of my favorite artists.
'Hell Can Wait' is the debut EP from Californian rapper Vince Staples, a somewhat understated figure in contemporary hip hop, once a member of the hip hop collective Odd Future now gone solo. This EP is something of a concept project detailing a seemingly eventful year in Staples life circa 2006, starting with "Fire" which employs deep, pounding bass and noisy instrumentation with a radio filter on Staples' voice detailing his experiences in Compton in the Summer before ... read more
Excellent debut. You can really tell this dude had crazy potential and a successful career ahead of him.
Vince Staples Discography Dive
Album 1 - Hell Can Wait
Everybody starts somewhere and Hell Can Wait is a good start for Vince and lays the foundation well showing his strengths and weaknesses. When jt comes to his verses, they're entertaining (in a good way / written well) and knows how to paint a picture, something I know he'll likely improve on. One thing I appreciate is when a song has a good hook... which Hell Can Wait rarely has besides one exception (Limos / Blue Suede is ... read more
Solid & Consistent, which doesn’t seem crazy cuz that’s most Vince projects, but this might have been his first time making a solid & consistent project.
Fav: Blue Suede
Worst: Feelin’ the Love
| 1 | Fire 2:16 | 76 |
| 2 | 65 Hunnid 3:05 | 79 |
| 3 | Screen Door 4:07 | 70 |
| 4 | Hands Up 3:19 | 82 |
| 5 | Blue Suede 3:38 | 86 |
| 6 | Limos 3:32 feat. Teyana Taylor | 80 |
| 7 | Feelin' the Love 3:30 | 66 |
| #10 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
| #13 | / | Complex |
| #20 | / | Pitchfork |
| #41 | / | Stereogum |
| #82 | / | The Quietus |
| #87 | / | Under the Radar |
| / | HipHopDX |