Long Beach rapper Vince Staples is otherworldly talented at his best. So, why does it feel like he is not putting his best foot forward to effect listeners?
Jayson, I think this essay is well written, but its central argument depends on attributing motives to Vince Staples that no one actually knows. A lot of it is built on assumptions, projections, and expectations based on who you wanted Vince Staples to become after Summertime 06.
You repeatedly suggest that Staples is making music to maintain critical acclaim; this reads as though his creative decisions are driven by what Pitchfork or Vulture might think. If that were true, why make a rock-leaning album? It's already proven divisive among his fanbase. Critics aren't fandom, fandom isn't critics.
I also think you're ignoring how artists become critical darlings in the first place. Critics didn't decide Vince Staples was important before hearing the music; his music earned that reputation. You're treating his acclaim as something sustained by his public persona, NOT by the fact that critics value the work itself.
He occupies several different roles at once: artist, gangster rapper, comedian, media personality, entertainer. Using a single aspect of his public persona -- that he's a good rapper afraid of being a good rapper (?) -- to explain all of his artistic decisions on this one album feels extremely reductive.
The biggest example of this comes in your last graf. Where does the idea that Vince Staples wants to be “the best rapper alive” come from? Has he ever said that? The essay treats that ambition as self-evident, and then it criticizes him for failing to pursue it. This reads like a projection of what you wanted from his career and arguing in bad faith.
Probably most importantly, I think your argument understates the extremely simple possibility that Vince Staples simply likes the music he's making now. It's completely fair to prefer Summertime 06 to his more recent records, but that's different from arguing that his newer work is the result of fear, reluctance, cowardice, or a desire to maintain critical acclaim.
This essay is less about the Vince Staples who exists and more about the Vince Staples you wish had existed.
This is an excellent comment and I want to expand on it a bit. You (Jayson) spent so much of this album review discussing things that were not the music--viral interviews, youtubers, the nature of Vince Staples' fame--I wonder if this piece shouldn't have been an album review at all. Maybe it would have worked better as a personal essay that uses Vince Staples' career (music and all the rest) as an entry point to explore your changing relationship with rap music, journalism, and the internet.
Also, I am not seeing every viral internet clip and have never watched the white youtube (?) guys you mentioned so your perception of Vince Staple's fame and audience might be skewed by your internet presence.
Solid take. I did watch a video a long while back about him sort of “self-sabotaging” his mainstream appeal to take a more sort of lowkey status and this really checks out with what that vid was saying. He’s great at making interviews viral moments with his dry humor and unfiltered opinions, but it doesn’t quite translate to the same level of urgency on something like Crybaby which is why he stays just another person to say is extremely slept on at this point. And I get your points about Crybaby selling itself short, I personally still enjoyed it though cuz I got the sort of straightforward vision Vince wanted to go for. I think he’s also just at a different stage of his life now where’s he’s not necessarily chasing the ambition of becoming the best or notable in any large form, but rather just making whatever he enjoys the most and seeing whoever speaks to it. But then again, I don’t necessarily know what full type of hunger Vince had in that 2010s era cuz I’ve only listened to dark times and self titled besides this album. Needa get around to summertime 06’ soon
Jayson, I think this essay is well written, but its central argument depends on attributing motives to Vince Staples that no one actually knows. A lot of it is built on assumptions, projections, and expectations based on who you wanted Vince Staples to become after Summertime 06.
You repeatedly suggest that Staples is making music to maintain critical acclaim; this reads as though his creative decisions are driven by what Pitchfork or Vulture might think. If that were true, why make a rock-leaning album? It's already proven divisive among his fanbase. Critics aren't fandom, fandom isn't critics.
I also think you're ignoring how artists become critical darlings in the first place. Critics didn't decide Vince Staples was important before hearing the music; his music earned that reputation. You're treating his acclaim as something sustained by his public persona, NOT by the fact that critics value the work itself.
He occupies several different roles at once: artist, gangster rapper, comedian, media personality, entertainer. Using a single aspect of his public persona -- that he's a good rapper afraid of being a good rapper (?) -- to explain all of his artistic decisions on this one album feels extremely reductive.
The biggest example of this comes in your last graf. Where does the idea that Vince Staples wants to be “the best rapper alive” come from? Has he ever said that? The essay treats that ambition as self-evident, and then it criticizes him for failing to pursue it. This reads like a projection of what you wanted from his career and arguing in bad faith.
Probably most importantly, I think your argument understates the extremely simple possibility that Vince Staples simply likes the music he's making now. It's completely fair to prefer Summertime 06 to his more recent records, but that's different from arguing that his newer work is the result of fear, reluctance, cowardice, or a desire to maintain critical acclaim.
This essay is less about the Vince Staples who exists and more about the Vince Staples you wish had existed.
This is an excellent comment and I want to expand on it a bit. You (Jayson) spent so much of this album review discussing things that were not the music--viral interviews, youtubers, the nature of Vince Staples' fame--I wonder if this piece shouldn't have been an album review at all. Maybe it would have worked better as a personal essay that uses Vince Staples' career (music and all the rest) as an entry point to explore your changing relationship with rap music, journalism, and the internet.
Also, I am not seeing every viral internet clip and have never watched the white youtube (?) guys you mentioned so your perception of Vince Staple's fame and audience might be skewed by your internet presence.
I really enjoyed this essay and I really disagree with the conclusions. Good ish
He rapping for him, bro
Solid take. I did watch a video a long while back about him sort of “self-sabotaging” his mainstream appeal to take a more sort of lowkey status and this really checks out with what that vid was saying. He’s great at making interviews viral moments with his dry humor and unfiltered opinions, but it doesn’t quite translate to the same level of urgency on something like Crybaby which is why he stays just another person to say is extremely slept on at this point. And I get your points about Crybaby selling itself short, I personally still enjoyed it though cuz I got the sort of straightforward vision Vince wanted to go for. I think he’s also just at a different stage of his life now where’s he’s not necessarily chasing the ambition of becoming the best or notable in any large form, but rather just making whatever he enjoys the most and seeing whoever speaks to it. But then again, I don’t necessarily know what full type of hunger Vince had in that 2010s era cuz I’ve only listened to dark times and self titled besides this album. Needa get around to summertime 06’ soon
i agree with this. i'm a non black rap fan and this album felt too much like it was made for my ears
In Search Of...? Or Paris Texas?