Vince Staples has always toyed around with mixing hip-hop with more experimental sounds but Prima Donna was by and far his biggest leap into that more experimental realm. It was a short offering and one I generally enjoyed, but I thought it was more of a one-off than a precursor to what we’d get on his major debut, Big Fish Theory.
“Crabs in a bucket
Wanna see you at the bottom, don’t you love it?
When they’re hatin’ so you hit ’em with the encore
Sendin’ shots but you at the top floor
Let ’em pop shit, give me some drums to go pop with”
In interviews as of late, he’s been proclaiming that he doesn’t make rap music and with this latest project I’m inclined to start believing him. With the exception of “Big Fish” and maybe “745”, all of the songs are full of crazy synths and experimental electronic sounds that took me aback upon first listen. He still displays some of those raw, matter of fact raps that made me a fan in the first place but all in all Big Fish Theory resonated with me far less than any of his previous projects, and it was a bit disappointing as a major debut.
Have you heard Big Fish Theory? What’d you think about it? Did it resonate with you as much as his previous work? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your own reaction and rating for the album.