I was late to the Vince Staples hype train, my first time he really caught my attention was on James Blakeโsย songย โTimelessโ. 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 โ06. You can count me as fully on board the hype train now and Iโve been anxious to hear whatโs next ever since.ย Prima Donna EP is Vinceโs 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 Iโm, war ready
The thing I admire in Vinceโs music is that heโs fearless, in both production and songwriting, heโs not afraid to go places most rappers wouldnโt dare go. Right off the back,ย Prima Donnaย makes it apparent that this isnโt like anything else out there and not even like his debut. The production is experimental to say the least.ย Summertime โ06 had itโs own elements of experimentation and abstractness, but this kicks things up to a whole other level. โSmileโ is heavily rock infused, โWar Readyโ is stripped down and minimalist, and โBig Timeโ (my favorite song onย Prima Donna) is frenetic as hell. Prima Donna is high concept and stands on itโs own from anything else heโs done and anything anybody else is doing. While, the concepts donโt 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 Iโm 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 hasnโt changed is Vinceโs lyricism. He still paints vivid pictures of life in Long Beach and the gangster lifestyle, and delivers it with his signature matter of factness. โWar 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 heโs saying โit is what it isโ. While, โBig 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. Heโs supremely confident in his craft and it shows. Itโs exciting to see whatโs 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.