Vince Staples โ€“ Prima Donna EP Reaction

Vince Staples - Prima Donna EPI was late to the Vince Staples hype train, my first time he really caught my attention was on James Blakeโ€™sย songย โ€œTimelessโ€. His verse, flow, delivery were all highly unique and that piqued my curiosity. That led me to one of my favorite albums in maybe the past 5 years, Summertime โ€™06. You can count me as fully on board the hype train now and Iโ€™ve been anxious to hear whatโ€™s next ever since.ย Prima Donna EP is Vinceโ€™s latest offering, as he builds up to what I presume is his next major album.

Woke up feeling like the walls caved in
Fought to the death, never gave in
Write that on the grave that I get laid in
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 Iโ€™m, war ready

The thing I admire in Vinceโ€™s music is that heโ€™s fearless, in both production and songwriting, heโ€™s not afraid to go places most rappers wouldnโ€™t dare go. Right off the back,ย Prima Donnaย makes it apparent that this isnโ€™t like anything else out there and not even like his debut. The production is experimental to say the least.ย Summertime โ€™06 had itโ€™s own elements of experimentation and abstractness, but this kicks things up to a whole other level. โ€œSmileโ€ is heavily rock infused, โ€œWar Readyโ€ is stripped down and minimalist, and โ€œBig Timeโ€ (my favorite song onย Prima Donna) is frenetic as hell. Prima Donna is high concept and stands on itโ€™s own from anything else heโ€™s done and anything anybody else is doing. While, the concepts donโ€™t always gel together perfectly, I highly appreciate his fearlessness in trying.

I come from the game where they pay to play
These rappers extorted like everyday
That Yankee Iโ€™m sporting like every day
Just played me a show they paid 80k
I put it away for a rainy day
You never know when you gon catch a case
You never know when you gon catch an opp
We kill ever day like where Sosa stay

One thing that hasnโ€™t changed is Vinceโ€™s lyricism. He still paints vivid pictures of life in Long Beach and the gangster lifestyle, and delivers it with his signature matter of factness. โ€œWar Readyโ€ is minimalist, and allows Vince to lay down heavy bars about struggling with the pressures of his surroundings and being war ready at all times. The serious lyrics are in stark contrast to his monotone delivery, as ifย heโ€™s saying โ€œit is what it isโ€. While, โ€œBig Timeโ€ is pure braggadocio, as Vince spits about girls, money, and the gangster lifestyle, allย along to the frenetic pace of the beat. Hisย lyricism and reality rapsย are on full display onย Prima Donna. Heโ€™s supremely confident in his craft and it shows. Itโ€™s exciting to see whatโ€™s to come next.

Have you heardย Prima Donna EP? What did you think about it? Did you appreciate the experimentation in production? What did you think about the lyrics? Let me know in the comments below and leave a rating for the EP.

Vince Staples - Prima Donna EP
Prima Donna EP Reaction
Conclusion
Prima Donna EP has Vince experimenting with different production while still delivering the same in your face lyrics about the gangster lifestyle and social struggles with a matter of factness that's refreshing. It's not perfect, but it's different than almost anything else you'll hear out there and it shows Vince's supreme confidence in his craft.
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