Wikipedia Genre: West Coast hip hop
Home: Norf Norf (North Side Long Beach, California)
Poster Position: 5
Both Weekends.
Saturday at 7:20.
IHG Stage.
Thoughts: Last here in 2018, with another appearance back in 2015.
Know that Staples is legit good. He came up with the weirdos in Odd Future, but jumped out on his own not long after those guys first got popular with their mixtapes. He was born in Compton, and then moved to North Side Long Beach, where he bounced around to a bunch of high schools (and apparently got tangled up in gang lifestyle). he also played in Snoop Dogg's Youth Football league, which is funny. His top hit references his home, and created some weird controversy that I'll get to in a bit. 204.2 million streams. "Norf Norf"
First off, that ominous, creeping beat is sick. Then, the flow over the top is salty as hell. Big fan of that song.
So, stupid controversy. You love stupid controversy, right? Back in 2016, when "Norf Norf" was becoming a hit and radios were playing it in some sections of the country, a "Christian Mother" went off on an 11 minute rant about the tune, which went viral. (You need to go down to the Soundcloud link in that story, where someone interposed her reading of the lyrics over the top of the beat, because it is awesome). So, people jumped out on this viral video, on both sides, condemning Staples' rap or ridiculing this crazy woman. And Staples did something very cool, he came to her defense, telling people it was not cool to make fun of the lady for her opinions or religion. He also corrects her misinterpretation of the song, but I very much appreciate a thinking response to the issue. He could have just clowned her and satisfied his fans, so I dig it.
I never cared much for the Odd Future thing, but this stuff is more traditional and regular rap with less of the weirdness. Before he went solo, he did a mixtape with Mac Miller, which is pretty cool. His first solo disc was 2014's Hell Can Wait, quickly followed up by 2015's double-album Summertime '06. Summertime appears to be a biographical album of sorts, kind of like the Good Kid Mad City-type stories of gang-banging and life getting by in the 'hood. According to Wikipedia, Staples is actually a Crip (a Naughty Nasty Gangsta Crip). So, make sure to wear the right colors this year at ACL, or at least avoid the Bud Light Lime-a-Rita Stage when Staples is playing if you're in the wrong colors.
"Senorita" from Summertime, with just under 28.6 million listens, is the most popular from the that disc after the big hit.
2.6 million spins on YouTube though. Crazy video. But the beat that literally had me looking up from my work to figure out what was going on was "Blue Suede." "Loca" is pretty salty as well, and I also dig the hook in "Norf Norf" of "I ain't never ran from nothin' but the police."
In 2016, Staples released an EP called Prima Donna. The EP starts off with a messed up intro of Staples singing "This Little Light of Mine" before a gunshot cuts him off, and then segways straight into the Andre-3000 sampling start of "War Ready," which bangs a pretty tough ass track over a basic click/clack/thump beat. I can't unpack all of these lyrics, but it sure sounds like this is the future battle anthem of the Black Lives Matter army.
"Heaven, Hell, free or jail, same shit
County jail bus, slave ship, same shit
A wise man once said that a black man better off dead
So I'm, war ready."
The rest of the album doesn't get much lighter, even if the beats do get a little more buoyant and excited. I especially like the sound on "Prima Donna," which also features A$AP Rocky and this great, bouncing, bass heavy beat. That is the most streamed one on this EP, at 14.6 million streams.
9.5 minute video for a 3 minute song - ah because it's not just for that song. The EP is also called Prima Donna, so this video features snippets of the different songs. Go to about 5:00 for a taste of the song "Prima Donna." Freaky ass video on some Shining shit. Criminy.
"Pimp Hand" is also a tight beat. Speaking of Andre 3000, "Smile" sounds a lot like Andre's rap delivery. It is a good disc.
Then, in 2017, Staples released Big Fish Theory, which was on all the album of the year hype lists. I tried it out at the time, and just wasn't that enamored with it. I called it a schizo album.
In some parts, the beats are good and the rhymes are tight. In other parts, the beats are lame and the lyrics follow suit. Like, one of the top tracks is "Yeah Right," which has this kind of annoying half-EDM/half-trap beat thing, with pretty weak raps by Staples that includes a sung interlude by some unnamed lady, but then Kendrick Lamar comes in and lays down a good verse. That track is followed up by "Homage," which is just too much - like it tries to be chill but also hyped at the same time, and it just makes me want to get off the ride. The opening track, "Crabs in a Bucket" is likewise weird stuff, reminds me of The Streets from 20 years ago.
But then "BagBak" comes along with an aggressive, skittering beat and some intelligent lyrics about what it will take to get Vince involved in politics and voting. And he tells the 1% to suck a dick. So maybe intelligent isn't the right word for this one. Whatever, it sounds cool and I'm down with telling the government to bite a pole. Here is the top track, the second one on the album, called "Big Fish," with 101.5 million streams.
Good beat, good lyricism (I like the bit about how he shoulda been dead broke, shoulda been chalked out), and the video is simply cool. Now I want to know if he ever got rescued. And if he didn't was he able to punch those weird goldfish with mega fins into submission? A few good tracks on this album, but I don't get the love for it as a whole.
Although, I might know why. I just saw an interview with him where he says that he made the album with the entire idea of it getting picked up by movie studios for use in movies. Fascinating. he says he and his people looked at what movies were coming out and then tried to create things that those folks would want to pick up for "syncs". he also says that Call of Duty paid him for a song they didn't use, and it was more than his entire album budget! Damn!
Next, 2018's FM! For the first time in a while, a rap album that is just fun sounding. Bouncy, joyful beats, with Staples' bobbing, smooth flow weaving through them - this album is very easy to just bop along to for the short 22 minute runtime. Only two songs break the 3 minute mark, and several of the 11 tracks are actually just little skits. "Don't Get Chipped" gets my head bobbing and shoulders dipping, and "Feels Like Summer" is also a tight banger, but "FUN!" has the most streams (31.5 million), so here you go:
Cool video, miming Google street view to show vignettes of life on a street. Good song too. I'm less impressed with the R&B-ish track "Tweakin'" or the "Brand New Tyga" interlude, but its mainly because I just don't much like that type of music. Great little album.
In the midst of his music, by the way, he has been acting as well. If you don't watch Abbott Elementary, it is fantastic, but he has a good little role in there. he also had a full-on Netflix series just called The Vince Staples Show.
2021 brought through a self-titled album - I don't remember ever listening to this one or reviewing it. That is lame. My apologies to you and yours. "ARE YOU WITH THAT? is the streaming champ with 59.1 million.
Good beat, with that deep bass thrum and the little hint of that sample that Ice Cube used in "You Know How We Do It." This song really hits all the notes, with that chill feel in both the tune and the flow.
Finally, you get 2024's Dark Times. Honestly, another gem. I hadn't heard it yet until just now, and it has some really good beats and rhymes on it. Staples is freaking good, y'all. "Justin" kind of sounds like Mac Miller, going back to the origins... The top track as of now is "Shame on the Devil," with 6.3 million streams.
No comments:
Post a Comment