Vince Staples

Vince Staples

It’s not easy to write an album about yourself without seeming egotistical, and it’s also not easy to write one which touches on themes of gang violence and poverty without falling into braggadocio or morbidity. On this album, Vince Staples has pulled off both. It may be a short album, but it’s an incredibly deep one.

The album represents more of a glance into the sketchbook of Vince Staples, a quiet and heartfelt chat at the end of a hectic night, than main stage at Coachella.

Vince Staples is certainly not an easy album to tap into, nor a particularly fun one, but for those interested in a piece of art in which the barrier between the creator and onlooker is veritably nonexistent, to the point of shared claustrophobia, look no further.

A quick, calm persistence of Staples’ subtlest finesses.

Vince Staples is a worthy continuation of his oeuvre, and proof if it were needed that his paradox of youthful energy and world-weary cynicism remains as captivating as ever.

Like Tyler’s 2017 breakthrough, Flower Boy, Staples’s new album is much more personal and accessible than anything he’s put out before.

Vince Staples is idiosyncratic and really impressive, the sound of someone walking their own path, uncoupled from current trends, shifting and changing as they go.

Vince Staples is a long way from his most adventurous work, and yet remains riddled with his idiosyncrasies. As a pure platform for his core skillset, it works.

Teaming up with producer Kenny Beats, the Long Beach rapper pilots a shadowy world with forlorn determination.

Staples and Kenny Beats' pared-down approach to this album is what makes it so incredibly endearing. The relatively sparse production serves as the perfect foundation for Staples' lyrics, highlighting his abilities as a rapper while also perfectly scoring his incredibly gripping storytelling.

Though the set feels somewhat sleepy upon first listen, repeat visits reward listeners with Staples' depth and wit, cementing Vince Staples as a simple yet focused statement from one of the West Coast's most relevant voices.

With his latest album, Vince Staples mines an artistic, existential, and notably fertile limbo. It’s his most reflective and sober perspective to date.