As someone who doesn't follow Staples particularly closely, I didn't hear much of the hype or promotion for this project. However, when I saw it on the front page of good ole Datpiff I couldn't help but give it a download. Vince is the type of artist who has very few haters. Granted he doesn't have an exceptional number of fans, but anyone who has heard his music says it's pretty good. That's the catch, though. Pretty good. Rarely do you hear anything in the ballpark of "great" to describe this guy's music. Nonetheless I can't deny this guy's talent, so I decided to give his new tape a completely objective listen. I know you've all been eagerly awaiting my review for this project, so I won't keep my loyal readers waiting any longer (whoever you guys are). Once again, the table is set. The stars are aligned for young Staples and he is prepared to capitalize on the music industry. None of that matters if this project sucks donkey dick, though.
As always I will start out with the positives of this mixtape. First of all, Vince Staples is a very consistent rapper. He is a good lyricist, and while he won't wow anyone with his flow or rhymes, he is very capable on the mic. This is then amplified by the overall stellar beat selection on this tape. A couple of the tracks that stood out were "Oh You Scared", "Nate", and "Shots". I especially enjoyed "Nate" a story of Staples' childhood admiration for his father, who by all means was a bad guy. It displays the impact that a father figure can have on a child, no matter if what they are doing is perceived by us as good or bad. This is one of the songs where we actually get to meet Staples and get a look into his personality and back round. Other songs were solid, and like I said, he was never horrible in the mic. In contrast he never did anything to wow me, which makes the ten track length very appropriate. You won't get bored with this project while listening by any means.
I did like this project, but it did come with it's fair share of blunders. I've discussed the good tracks littered throughout the middle of this tape, but it started and began in very bad notes. In fact, after the first two tracks I almost scrapped the review all together. This guy is great at not being entertaining at times. It wasn't until, "45" that I had any interest in this project. His monotonous style becomes boring, not because of the monotony, but because he isn't really saying much. When you have such a bland style the words you say have to carry even more weight, and at times he failed to capitalize on doing so. Vince Staples is not the next Guru. Just like it began poorly, this tape also had a lackluster ending. The No I.D. beat wasn't any good, and the final track left me with very little desire to play this thing back. Before I sound like I hated this tape I have to reiterate that I did like this tape, and he is a good young rapper. The project just had it's sore spots.
The rating attached is more of a 2.8, but age and potential sway me into giving our host the benefit of the doubt. He is a very talented emcee, and the beat selection was nearly always on point, but in order to continue to gain popularity he will need something more to catapult him into the mainstream. He is lacking an ''it" factor if you would, or even some sort of gimmick to make him more interesting. His skill alone will give him a sizable following, but real success will only come once he figures out how to wow the casual listener. This is, however, his best project to date, (well, at least Stolen Youth, which is the other one i went back to) so it is obvious that he is moving in the right direction. I won't rush to the store when this guy puts out an album, but I also won't let it slide past me. This kid has mad potential and I wouldn't be surprised if he found his niche in the rap game and became one of the next big names in the industry.
Rating:3/5