We thought that it would be a while before we saw Vince again but here he is!
What a nice surprise, eh? A brand new Vince Staples album; FM. As the album title suggests, FM takes place over radio show ‘Big Boy TV’, previously used and executed just as well by old friend Tyler, The Creator on Flower Boy.
The last time we saw Vince, he was literally telling over enthusiastic fans, record labels, sub-par rappers, and anyone that has a problem with him to “Get the F**K Off My D*ck”. Pissed off, we thought that it would be a while before we saw Vince again but here he is!
FM, the fifth music project by Vince Staples, was teased weeks ago on his Instagram.
It gives the listener 22 solid minutes of the usual Vince beat production but with more trap influences and less offbeat quirk mixes like Blue Suede (or pretty much the entirety of his previous album, Big Fish Theory). Standouts in this album include songs like Outside!, Don’t Get Chipped, and Run The Bands. Lyrically this album doesn’t offer us much, Vince raps the same expression he gives off in his interviews – lowkey Crip gang affiliations, anti-pocket watching, and questioning the validity of his Caucasian fan base.
It’s entertaining to hear this rhetoric in his interviews as it just comes off as silly banter, but praise the hip-hop gods this project wasn’t three times longer with the same subject it currently has.
Vince is well known for his outspoken pro-black and anti-police brutality bangers but doesn’t deliver any of that in his new project, instead tackles the beat with voice change-ups that we’ve not heard before (well, we got a hint on Screen Door from the Hell Can Wait project). Most notably on Run The Bands, Vince trades the trademark monotone voice for a more high pitch delivery (south side inspired?), this brings a type of energy that qualifies for a night club tune with Juicy J performing a simple chorus “RUN THE BANDS RUN THE BANDS HEY”.
Favourite line: “I got Christian Dior, I’m Crippin’ Bior”, FUN! Ft. E-40
A favourite of mine is Feels Like Summer, a record made for the radio if I’ve ever seen one, as it brings smooth Trap/R&B production with an appearance from returning artist Ty Dollar $ign. Although it doesn’t seem like Vince is saying anything especially meaningful here, there’s something about his usual delivery that helps to make this song the perfect opener for FM.
Honourable mention to Earl Sweatshirt for making a real quick appearance, I hope we hear from him very soon.
Well, thank you for reading my review – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed listening to Vince’s new album. I give this album a strong 3 out of 5, as much as I think the delivered 22 minutes is solid, it still lacks what I gravitated towards Vince’s music in the first place – the loud in your face commentary on society is what I long for from ya boy Vince.