Vince Staples

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Staples’ new album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart, is an elegy for his stolen youth—a subtle lament for the life he’s led that also pines for the one he never did. It shares the clarity he’s exhibited since the start of his career, a perspective aged by the streets he was raised on. There are no solutions here, no grand epiphany. His home just no longer provides the same comfort that it once did. A companion piece to his 2021 self-titled LP, Ramona Park Broke My Heart diverges from the innovation and technical proficiency of earlier records, in favor of introspection and contemplation. If Vince Staples was muted by its grayscale palette, Ramona Park Broke My Heart is colored with vivid nostalgia for the sounds of his youth. “DJ Quik” flips the G-Funk spirit of the titular artist’s classic cut “Dollaz + Sense,” drowning a vintage drum machine in gauzy atmospherics; the bass line’s electronic twang on “Magic” draws from the sound of that era more directly. “East Point Prayer” is the lone departure from Southern California, melting into melancholy chords evocative of Atlanta’s emo-trap sing-raps that guest rapper Lil Baby is best known for. Despite this, Staples manages to synthesize the work of more than a dozen different producers—many virtual unknowns—with a persistent ennui shared by all the cooks in the kitchen. Noor, Sun (December 1, 2021). "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2021". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021 . Retrieved December 6, 2021.

Hawkes, Jake (July 8, 2021). "Vince Staples – Vince Staples". Clash. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021 . Retrieved July 8, 2021. Panaligan, EJ (December 6, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021: Staff List". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021 . Retrieved December 7, 2021. a b Okon, Wongo (July 3, 2021). "Vince Staples Recruited Foushee For His Forthcoming Self-Titled Album". Uproxx. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021 . Retrieved July 7, 2021. Fitzgerald, Kiana (December 1, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". NPR Music. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021 . Retrieved December 4, 2021.

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Lyons-Burt, Charles (December 7, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021 . Retrieved December 7, 2021. Nugent, Annabel (July 8, 2021). "Vince Staples review, Vince Staples: Another superb outlier from a rapper who excels in them". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021 . Retrieved July 8, 2021. If there’s a single set piece that can speak to each of the disparate corners of Staples’ audience, it’s “When Sparks Fly,” the album’s most complete standalone statement. On its surface, it’s a standard street love song, built atop a sample of Lyves’s ethereal ballad “ No Love,” before a different, more surprising voice emerges. This is a lover’s lament told from the perspective of a personified firearm, bemoaning his capture by the police from its hiding place. It captures a sense of longing that Staples is typically unwilling to reveal in the first person, reaching beyond the standard refrain of “free the homies” to depict how those on the outside can often feel just as trapped. Gee, Andre (December 1, 2021). "The Best Albums of 2021". Complex. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 . Retrieved December 4, 2021. Vince Staples ' runtime is approximately 22 minutes, the same length as his last project, FM! [2] The album, like his last, was produced by Kenny Beats. [3]

a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (July 8, 2021). "Vince Staples – 'Vince Staples' album review: a spectacular slow-burn". NME. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021 . Retrieved July 8, 2021.Staples’ disillusionment comes into sharp focus on “The Spirit of Monster Kody,” a 45-second skit that’s voiced by Sanyika Shakur, fka “Monster” Kody Scott, an infamously violent member of the Eight Tray Gangster Crips who wrote an autobiography about his troubled life. In his speech, Kody speaks of defying expectations and drawing inspiration from the legendary rebel Joseph Cinqué. Free of additional context, it’s powerful, even inspiring. But what Staples leaves unsaid is that despite his triumphs, Kody’s end was as tragic as his beginning—last summer, his body was found decomposing in a tent at a homeless encampment near San Diego. Schwartz, Danny (July 9, 2021). "Vince Staples' Self-Titled LP is a Concise Study in Peril and Paranoia". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021 . Retrieved July 9, 2021. a b McMullen, Chase (July 9, 2021). "Album Review: Vince Staples – Vince Staples". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021 . Retrieved July 16, 2021. DeVille, Chris (July 9, 2021). "Stream Vince Staples' New Self-Titled Album". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021 . Retrieved July 20, 2021.