By: Mason Stoutamire
Photo from DIY Magazine.
Vince Staples chooses is engaging with loss in order to love again in every capacity. “ROSE STREET” swears by streets in the chorus: “I’m married to the gang, don’t be playing games / Only bringing flowers to the homie’s grave.” Poor relationship skills aside, there’s a deep connection to brotherhood and tradition that can be charged to growing up in the hood. As the first single for his upcoming album, “RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART,” Vince introduces a practical exploration of love in places where it’s systemically unaffordable. The album is announced to release on streaming services on April 8.
Vince is at his best when he’s showing us different pockets of his reality. This isn’t meant to help us understand him nor is it to gain any credit from the streets. In all their sobriety, these stories are just as valuable as anything else you’ve heard. Caring for a friend in the streets correlates to caring for a lover (respective differences considered). Clever entendre and a variety of "aha!" punchlines add a layer of magic to the raps before you discover their figurative scale. They’re unforgiving and perpetually fatal, but the single rides like a west coast car anthem for the homies.
From this single alone, Vince is definitely striking while the iron is hot. He’s still confident in his flows from the last album release, "VINCE STAPLES" (2021) from nine months ago. HIs branching towards directing and performing is leading to one of the most prolific albums of his career. For Vince, home is where the heart is, no matter how broken.
Listen to the track here.
Mason Stoutamire can be reached at mstoutamire6@gmail.com
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