Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

Vince Staples
Big Fish Theory
2017
Spotify

When you hear the term club-rap you should feel a bit of cringe. usually relegated to some pumped up EDM banger with a rapper spitting some bullshit about loving life or poppin bottles. Well that was before Vince Staples. Big Fish Theory, his sophomore release is full of razor sharp club bangers produced by some of the greatest working in Electronic Music today. The title track is a great example, it is pure G-Funk paying homage to Staples' LA roots but it's also from 200 years in the future with a almost future base take on the genre. It is in a word, inspired, both in the ideea and the execution. "Alyssa Interlude" begins with a clip from Amy Winehouse describing love and her relationship with art, then Vince comes in basically singing this odd, very refined track. Staples seems to be very concerned with getting to the point and getting the fuck out with few songs over three and a half minutes. This gives the record an incredible punch avoid the pitfalls that can come from lingering on a track to long. Summertime '06 was almost colorless in so many ways, letting Staples' words really come through in a vivid way, but this record is bright and vibrant even though that bleakness is still lying somewhere underneath. Zach Sekoff a techno master provides most of the production, with assists from Flume, SOPHIE and Jimmy Edgar. Flume and Sophie produced "Yeah Right" which is peak futurebass.

Kendrick Lamar has a feature on "Yeah Right"  just further pushing the track and the record over the top. It is one of the only times that Staples relinquishes the mic, even only sparingly using a singer. "SAMO" a way of saying "same ol thang" is the most lyric forward track on the record with Staples ripping into people with his savage wit. He is willing to go nearly anywhere with his words, a truly fearless rapper who also is fucking incredibly intelligent. "Party People" may be the most poignant song on the record as Staples vacillates between wanting his party people to stand up and dance and the darkness that surrounds that party. "Move your body if you came her to party/if not then pardon me/How I'm supposed to have a good time/When death and destruction's all I see?" simply speaks for itself. "BagBak" is similarly relentless on corporate banks and the Police with chanting "Tell the 1% to suck a dick because we on now!". The record is a battle cry, a comedy, a mirror and a party all at once. Big Fish Theory is truly an accomplishment for the young rapper, and if this is his sophomore slump what in the hell can he have in store for us next? Whatever it is put money on it banging, hard.

9.1 out of 10