Vince Staples is a California rapper that first rose to prominence in 2012 as a member of the hip-hop trio Cutthroat Boyz. He later received more attention by appearing on several albums from the members of the Odd Future collection, specifically being very close with guys like Earl Sweatshirt and Mike G, as well as having a collaborative mixtape with the late Mac Miller (R.I.P. Mac). He then released his debut EP “Hell Can Wait,” and parlayed the success of his debut album “Summertime ’06” into earning a spot on the 2015 XXL Freshman list. He received further success with his second studio album “Big Fish Theory,” and now he’s back, just over a year later, with his third full-length album, one that’s only 11 tracks long and stretches just over 22 minutes.
Now, I’m not too familiar with Vince’s music, as I haven’t covered any of his other albums on this blog, and the only time he’s been brought up in a review was when he was featured on the song “Opps” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack (which, while I liked, wasn’t one of my favorite tracks from the album). So, what really drew me to this release? Well, I heard a lot of really positive things about it early on, a number of people highly recommended it to me, and hey, it’s only 22 minutes, so it’s not like it’s gonna take a lot of time out of my life to review it, right? So let’s go in and see what form Vince displays on this one:
(NOTE: Vince Staples doesn’t credit the features on this album, but for everyone else’s sake so they at least know, I will credit the features here.)
Feels Like Summer (ft. Ty Dolla $ign): Not to be confused with the Childish Gambino song, Vince opens the album up by celebrating the summertime in his hometown of Long Beach, California, while also warning of how dangerous Long Beach can be in the summertime. He also recruits Big Boy’s Neighborhood for the intro and outro, and Ty Dolla $ign for the hook, to create a fast-paced banger with catchy flows, a really hard beat, and some really cool, darker production. Vince sounds great on it, and the song is rounded out perfectly by Ty’s super sticky hook, which features the very smooth, pretty vocals we’ve come to expect out of him. Really good start to the album.
Outside!: Apparently this track, which sees Vince talk about gang life, is the Nyan Cat melody slowed and pitch-shifted down. Fascinating choice of an instrumental here. Regardless, I think it’s used pretty tastefully, and it gives the song a somewhat plucky, but still upbeat and super fun feel. It feels like a banger with really charismatic vocals and extremely catchy flows from Vince, and it’s a song that’s so easy to just get into and turn up to. It’s a song that’s just too easy to have fun with, and even if it ends a bit quickly, it’s extremely satisfying while it lasts.
Don’t Get Chipped (ft. Jay Rock): This is another song about gang activity and a play on the term “getting chipped,” which essentially means “getting shot.” Vince is also joined by fellow West Coast rapper Jay Rock, as the two create a much more cutthroat and dark track. Vince’s vocal performance and flows remain top-notch and really fun, and he meshes well against the nocturnal but nonetheless punchy instrumentals. I’m not quite as enthralled by Jay Rock’s hook, but his vocals do sound good enough, and I do like the song a bit. I think it could easily grow on me with a few more listens.
Relay: Keeping right on trucking with his discussions about gang life and escaping the cops, this track leads in perfectly from the last one (as it’s been throughout the whole album), and it takes things just a little bit slower than the last few. The production is once again very dark and nocturnal, and even as he takes things a bit slower, Vince continues to have a lot of fun with his flows and the hook. The hook, I’d also argue, is one of the catchiest on the album. Once again, the song succeeds because it’s just too damn fun. Vince was definitely enjoying himself while making this track.
New earlsweatshirt - Interlude (ft. Earl Sweatshirt): As the title would suggest, this interlude is some new Earl Sweatshirt stuff. And even it's just 23 seconds in length, Earl talks a good bit on the track about the Crips, being sent to Samoan reform school, and several people close to him that passed away. It’s got a very bouncy, pretty fun instrumental, Earl’s flow is catchy, and even though it’s nothing to throw in a playlist since it’s so short, it serves its purpose as a good interlude.
Run the Bands: What feels like an open discussion about armed robbery, this song also keeps things in the very dark, nocturnal direction that the last few tracks have gone in. And while I do dig that production, as well as a lot of Vince’s catchy cadences and flows, I think the hook here is just a little bit too repetitive. It’s the longest track on the album at 3:08, but it feels like it could’ve been shortened just a little bit because some parts of it, again, just feel repetitive. Not a bad track, but definitely not one of my favorites on the album.
FUN! (ft. E-40): Surprisingly, the title here is actually an acronym for “fuck up nothing.” I honestly wasn’t expecting that. Either way, Vince is joined by E-40 on this cut, and the two make a very bouncy, electronic cut that feels a lot different than a lot of the other songs on here. It’s got a very sweet click-clacking drum beat, a super danceable and fun (no pun intended) vibe, and some of Vince’s best flows and vocal performances on the album. He just has a natural charisma here, and E-40’s verse adds a nice layer of variety to the track. This might be my favorite track on the album.
No Bleedin (ft. Kamaiyah): Vince brings in Kamaiyah on this track, one that talks about how gang members are to keep their “head on the swivel” and basically stay aware of their surroundings. This one keeps things a bit upbeat, while also having some more sinister xylophones and fast-paced percussion. Even if the hook is a bit repetitive, it’s fun enough that it’s not a big problem for me. Vince and Kamaiyah both sound really great here, displaying a very natural, effortless charisma all throughout their verses. This is another emphatic cut, I really like it.
Brand New Tyga - Interlude (ft. Tyga): Again, exactly what it says on the tin: this is some brand new Tyga. Yeah, remember Tyga? The guy who did “Rack City” that’s had an inexplicable return to popularity this year? Ah, I knew you would. Anyway, this is another short interlude, clocking at 35 seconds, and Tyga doesn’t really say anything substantial on it, honestly. Still, the song does have a catchy, dark instrumental and really slick and fun flows from Tyga, I just kinda wish it wasn’t an interlude. It could’ve been a highlight if it was a full song, but since it’s just 35 seconds, it just feels like it deserves to be longer.
(562) 453-9382 - Skit: A very weird, 53-second skit that sees Big Boy and someone named Christian play a radio game where Christian has to guess several celebrities whose names begin with V, this one just kinda feels like a lead-in to the closer of the album. And for that, it serves its purpose, I guess. I don’t really see much memorable about this skit, it’s just there to be there. Nothing bad, nothing incredible.
Tweakin’ (ft. Buddy, Kehlani and Vonnie): Closing things out, Vince is joined by Buddy, Kehlani, and Vonnie to talk about how common it was to see his friends getting killed growing up, and he talks about the effects of gang violence as a whole. The song’s got very sinister production, and Vince’s performance sounds like it has a bit more emotional edge to it (understandable given some of the content of the lyrics). I’m not as into Buddy’s intro here, but I do like Kehlani’s hook a lot, it again adds to the emotional feel of the song. Really good closer to the album!
Overall, I had no idea what to expect out of this album going into it, but I have to say I really dig what Vince Staples did on this! Going for a number of different sounds and ideas, Vince nonetheless keeps this album mostly loose and fills it with some very fun tracks. There’s some very catchy, weird, and different production throughout this thing, Vince’s performances are consistently entertaining, and I like the album’s concept of essentially being a full FM radio show, complete with Big Boy radio introducing several of the songs. On top of that, most of the songs here top out at under three minutes, but despite that, still feel plenty fulfilling and are great listens regardless. Vince and his features are in top form throughout the entire project, and even with some of the lesser tracks, there’s never a dull moment.
If there’s anything I can slightly criticize, it’s that I kinda wanted more. In 2018, it seems like the idea is that you either release an album that’s so short that it leans more towards being an EP, or you release something as long as the Marvel movies that keep popping up in theaters. Vince chose to do the former here, and while it’s a very breezy, tight, and well-constructed 22 minutes, the album does feel like it could’ve benefitted from a bit more content, or it could’ve benefitted from taking some of those interludes and turning them into longer songs. Even still, despite the length issue, I still think “FM!” is one of the most fun, bouncy, and catchy rap projects released this year (right up there with a lot of the mainstream choices), and it’s one that I absolutely recommend listening to. There’s a lot to like, even if it’s a pretty small package, and it’s definitely worthy of the praise it’s received thus far.
Favorite tracks: Feels Like Summer, Outside!, Relay, FUN!, No Bleedin, Tweakin’
Least favorite tracks: Run the Bands (if I had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
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