The wittiest, most enigmatic personality and biggest Sprite fan in hip-hop right now, Vince Staples is making a dent. The Long Beach native has been turning heads since the release of his debut LP Summertime ’06, helping quip articles everywhere describing his powerful lyrics and grounded “like it is” demeanour. His early days sleeping and recording in the studio of Odd Future foreshadowed his work with producers like No ID, James Blake, Clams Casino and Flume. His follow up records Prima Donna and Big Fish Theory expanded upon his distinctive skills, while his talent as a communicator and ability to bend genres became a talking point amongst those both inside and outside of the industry.
Still, for all of his success thus far, Staples will tell you that the only thing that matters is his product. He’s just a regular guy; completely unconcerned with the distractions of fame and always blatantly aware of the world around him and his prosaic place in it. Such little ego is not exactly rife in hip-hop, which is a large part of Staples’ charm. He is bluntly sobering in a way no one else is.
This understated conviction translates in much the same way to his live show. No frills, just straightforward hefty club-ready hip-hop with athletic flows the entire arena knows by heart. Staples moves around the stage in a blasé fashion, before regaining focus, raising the mic and staring back down the barrel at his adoring crowd as he fires off prose.
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
The ground is thawing and summer is finally coming. For Australian music industry, that only means one thing: festival lineups and summer tours are being announced by the bucketload. We’re especially excited to see a small but exciting list of hip-hop artists coming down under for festival appearances and headline tours, and to make life easier for you, we’ve placed them all in one big convenient list.
We’ll update this as the announcements keep rolling out. For now, here are our picks for a summer of hip-hop via festivals and live music.
Falls Festival
Our picks: Run The Jewels, D.R.A.M., Vince Staples
Run The Jewels haven’t visited Australia since Falls Festival 2014-2015, and though Vince Staples visited twice last year, he’s since released a whole new album, Big Fish Theory. D.R.A.M., meanwhile, cancelled his Groovin The Moo appearance earlier this year, so we’re hoping he makes his debut Australian appearance for New Years Eve.
Dates
28 Dec – 31 Dec: Lorne, VIC
29 Dec – 31 Dec: Marion Bay, TAS (All Ages)
31 Dec – Jan 2: Byron Bay, NSW
6 Jan – 7 Jan, Fremantle, WA
Beyond The Valley
Our picks: ScHoolboy Q, Stormzy, Sampa The Great
One of Victoria’s favourite newer festivals has had a hip-hop-loving presence across each of its three years so far, and this year is no different. Both ScHoolboy Q and Stormzy just chewed up and spat out Splendour in the Grass, and will be visiting again in just a few months’ time. ScHoolboy’s last album, Blank Face, was one of our favourite records of 2016, while Stormzy claimed the grime throne with this year’s Gang Signs & Prayer. Joining these will be our favourite local artist Sampa The Great, who always delivers one hell of a show.
Dates
Dec 28 – Jan 1: Lardner Park, Vic
Meredith Music Festival
Our picks: Noname
The eclectic Meredith Music Festival lineup isn’t particularly hip-hop heavy, but it does include the incredibly talented, soulful artist Noname, who will be visiting Australia for the very first time. Originally emerging as Noname Gypsy, the Chicago singer was largely noted for her association with Chance the Rapper, namely for her guest verse on the Acid Rap track Lost.
Since then she’s well and truly made a name for herself, releasing one of last year’s best albums, Telefone, and establishing herself as a beacon of honey in a world
Dates
Dec 8 – 10: Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, VIC
Laneway Festival
Our picks: Anderson Paak
The Laneway lineup hasn’t even been fully announced yet (we’ll update this when it is), but it’s already whet our whistles with the news that the amazing Anderson Paak will be on our shores once more in January and February 2018. The Malibu artist last toured for Listen Out 2016.
The Laneway lineup does traditionally feature a slew of great hip-hop acts, and we’re expecting a few more to join in – my guesses include Tyler, The Creator, if he’s actually allowed into the country this time, The Internet, Aminé (that’s just wishful thinking) and Frank Ocean (okay now I’m just fantasising, this guess has literally zero basis in fact).
Dates
Mon 29 Jan: Auckland
Fri 2 Feb: Adelaide
Sat 3 Feb: Melbourne
Sun 4 Feb: Sydney
Sat 10 Feb: Brisbane
Sun 11 Feb: Fremantle
Migos
6lack
LVRN upcomer 6lack (pronounced “black” ) will be supporting Migos at their shows, but he’s also making his debut headline appearances, and well worth a mention on his own. His debut album Free 6lack was a dark, smooth display of things to come, spawning huge singles Ex Calling and PRBLMS. There’s something about 6lack that really sets him apart from many of his contemporaries, and we have high hopes for his headline sets.
Dates
Wed 11 Oct: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Mon 16 Oct: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Khalid
Crooning R&B upstart Khalid has already had a killer 2017, delivering one of the year’s smoothest debuts with the amazingly earwormy American Teen. Following sellout tours in the USA and Europe, he’s just announced his debut shows in Australia, and it looks like fans can’t get enough – he’s already upgraded and sold out almost every show, so get in quick if you’re planning to catch the magic in action.
Dates
Tues Nov 7: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (Sold out)
Wed Nov 8: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Thurs Nov 9: Festival Hall, Melbourne
Fri Nov 10: Eatons Hill Outdoor Stage, Brisbane
The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye himself is finally, finally bringing his mammoth tour down under for the very first time. The ludicrously successful Canadian singer, who tiptoes the line between pop and R&B with more Max Martin-produced finesse than a Cirque du Soleil performer, is coming in hot with a full round of arena shows this November.
Joining Tesfaye will be French Montana and Nav, whose recent album with Metro Boomin was one of the shittiest records of 2017 so far, but hey, maybe his live show will be more fun. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dates
Wed Nov 29: Spark Arena, Auckland
Sat Dec 2: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Sun Dec 3: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Wed Dec 6: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Fri Dec 8: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sat Dec 9: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Mon Dec 11: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Thurs Dec 14: Perth Arena, Perth
GZA
Wu-Tang Clan’s brilliant GZA is returning to Australia once more for a solo tour, having last visited with (most of) the full Clan in 2016. His last solo tour was way back in 2012 (I was there and can personally guarantee this is not a show you’ll wanna miss), so this is set to be pretty damn exciting, especially given how small the venues are. It’s not often you get to see a living legend in such intimate settings.
Dates
Sat 11 Nov: The Studio, Auckland
Sun 12 Nov: San Fran, Wellington
Wed 15 Nov: Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Thurs 16 Nov: Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Fri 17 Nov: Manning Bar, Syd
Sat 18 Nov: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
Sat Nov 19: Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Though he’s flirted with mainstream attention, Vince Staples has always seemed to operate on the outskirts. Sure, most hip-hop heads would recognise his name, and Australians might know him best for featuring on Smoke and Retribution, from Flume‘s sophomore album Skin (he also supported Flume on tour here last year), and yet he has remained on the edge of superstardom.
In the two-and-a-half years since his critically acclaimed debut album Summertime ’06, he’s made himself known throughout the world, touring extensively, appearing everywhere from GQ to Yelp, collaborating with James Blake and others, releasing a brilliant EP, and generally proving himself to be a respectable man of the people.
With each move, he edges further toward mainstream success. Today marks the release of second album Big Fish Theory, an easy contender for album of the year. Given its hefty guest list (Kendrick Lamar, Bon Iver and Damon Albarn among others), the spotlight is officially on Vince Staples.
In the lead-up to its release, Staples told LA Weekly, “We making future music. It’s Afro-futurism. This is my Afro-futurism. There’s no other kind.” Staples, like a few of his contemporaries (Kendrick Lamar the most obvious comparison) are as much defined by the ambiguity of their musical style as anything else. Big Fish Theory is as much a hip-hop album as it is a dance album; it’s 2017, wrapped into 36 neat minutes. Yes, it’s the future, and the future is now.
Opening statement Crabs In A Bucket laments the human mentality of always wanting more. Immediately following is album highlight Big Fish featuring Juicy J. Here, Staples discusses how far rap has brought him, from “gun squeezin'” on Long Beach’s Artesia Boulevard to “countin’ up hundreds by the thousand”. In isolation, it’s a brag; in the context of the album, it’s a discussion of the pitfalls of a wealth-driven mentality (not unlike the fluid message of Lamar’s HUMBLE.) BagBak, released earlier this year features a similar message. Staples takes aim at the wealthy: “Tell the one percent to suck a dick, because we on now”.
There’s change a’coming, and Staples is at the front line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l9kzS_B7gg
Damon Albarn appears on Love Can Be, the pair’s second collaboration in as many months; Staples featured on Ascension, from the long-awaited, star-studded recent Gorillaz album, Humanz. Their chemistry is hard to ignore – it’s so potent, in fact, that Staples will be supporting Gorillaz on their upcoming US tour.
Albarn repeatedly croons “love can be” in a succession of melodic robotic filters, rendering him near-unrecognisable. Remaining uncredited, Staples uses left-field features from the likes of Albarn and Bon Iver as additions to – rather than drawcards for – his musical vision. The major exception here is Kendrick Lamar on Yeah Right, which features Lamar obliterating a co-produced beat from SOPHIE and Flume.
Despite his immense critical and commercial superiority, even Lamar succeeds as a secondary character within the story here. Not done with top-tier hip-hop names either, SAMO features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance from A$AP Rocky on the hook, deep in the mix, while final track Rain Come Down features a velvety hook from Ty Dolla $ign.
Party People explores the horror of Staples’ surroundings, and his attempts to reconcile a freewheeling party lifestyle with the scourge of police brutality in America. “How I’m supposed to have a good time/When death and destruction’s all I see?” he ponders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeUOvrnOCVY
Big Fish Theory is the kind of album that can be equally enjoyed at face value, or through its socially conscious roots; on the one hand you’ve got arresting, varied dance-orientated beats, strong guest appearances and heady, heavy beats. On the other, you’ve got a lyrically poignant, technically brilliant record which points a finger firmly at the world surrounding Staples, highlighting his concerns and educating listeners along the way.
Foregoing production from established names in favour of the lesser known Westside Ty and Zekoff, Staples proves that “visions of the future” is not just a buzzword, but the mantra of his album.
Big Fish Theory is one of the most ambitious yet cohesive records of 2017. At 12 tracks (including two interludes) and just 36 minutes long, it’s highly curated, leaving no room for even a hint of filler. With gritty lyrics and club-ready production, few in hip-hop are matching his sound, style nor vision.
Rather than collapsing under the weight of his own ambition, Staples’ album is a triumph. He proves himself more than worthy of a place right alongside his superstar contemporaries.
On Big Fish Theory, the lightning wit and acid tongue of this 23-year-old from Long Beach confirms his place at the top of the game. And you can guarantee there’s more where that came from.
Words by Ben Madden
Big Fish is out now via Def Jam
All images: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes (full gallery here)
Dear Vince Staples, do you ever rest? Seriously, all you seem to do is make music and tour nonstop. You released the sublime Prima Donna EP last August, and now you’re following it up with a full length album? And a six week headline tour? We don’t want to sound ungrateful, but take a break man! You’ve more than deserved it!
Dropping the explosive BagBak, Staples has declared himself back in the game (as if he every really left). While there are no real details on the hotly awaited album, Def Jam has confirmed that it is coming “very soon.” Honestly, an album announcement isn’t massively surprising after the release of BagBak, which caused the rumour mill to explode, and makes perfect sense considering it’s been almost two years since his last full album.
The single precedes Staples’ six week, 26-city headline tour of the US and Canada. Dubbed The Life Aquatic Tour, it’s set to showcase music from the EP, and, presumably, a few new tunes too. Joining him will be Brooklyn’s own Kilo Kish, who was featured on Loco.
Additionally, those who opt for the VIP tickets to the tour will apparently receive a copy of the new album on CD with their ticket – or at least that’s what people are suggesting is meant by, “One (1) Special Item (shipped to you after the show)” as listed on his official website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF6x7g5ZfwM
Image: Dani Hansen
Good news, hip-hop heads: Vince Staples and Danny Brown have both just announced new music coming out very, very soon.
Vince Staples is everywhere. He bookended 2016 with Australian tours – first for Falls Festival last January, and in December he toured with golden boy Flume, released a stellar EP Primadonna, and featured on just about every online video series around from judging gold chains worn by rappers to buying sneakers and commenting on men’s fashion.
He has now announced new music, titled Bagbak, set for release this Friday February 3. It’s most likely a single, although we wouldn’t rule out the chances of a lengthier project.
The news came via Instagram:
Meanwhile, producer Paul White has announced a new EP, Accelerator, featuring Danny Brown to come out on February 10. This comes less than a year since Brown’s album Atrocity Exhibition, the vast majority of which was produced by White. White also released a free 19-track beat tape in January, Everything You’ve Forgotten.
The four-track EP has been announced via Bandcamp, and looks like it contains two tracks – Accelerator and Lion’s Den, and a remix of each.
Check out the artwork here:
Looks like 2017 is going to be pretty damn sweet for hip-hop!
Image: Amazon/The Every Girl
Flume‘s early days of uploading to MySpace and writing bits for his dad’s commercials as a 14 year old seem humble if not prodigious. The Northern Beaches native became an international sensation with his debut self-titled album which yielded four ARIA awards, a slew of big name collaborations and remixes, and the de-throning of One Direction and Justin Bieber off the charts to boot. Four years on, following some staggering stress and writer’s block, his second full-length creation Skin is whipping anyone left on the fence into a rippling laser-induced frenzy.
As a producer, Flume’s style is distinctly innovative, infusing electronic and dance music with warm, organic elements and behind-the-beat, off-grid Hip Hop swing. While his debut was smooth and melodic, he wanted to take his next project to a more challenging level. His latest album Skin not only won him seven ARIAs but has now been nominated for two Grammys. It contains an almost overwhelming mix of heavy, experimental electronics, blissfully radio-friendly pop and abrasive Hip Hop. Opener Helix is one of the most ethereal and spine-tingling numbers in recent times, and experiencing this song open a live spectacle to stadiums full of screaming fans is unbelievable to witness.
Since his last headline tour four years ago, which involved little more than a laptop and some brazen festival lighting, his live sets and stage design have exploded into a Tron-esque dream of blinding strobes, laser light cages, LCD lit decks and epic artwork displays by fellow Australian marvel Jonathan Zawada. And Flume’s on-stage presence has certainly come into its own accordingly.
Joining Flume on the night was rapper Vince Staples. Staples has also had an incredible year, including the release of new EP Prima Donna. It feels criminal to see Staples as just the opening act, but he certainly delivered one of the best opening sets you’ll ever see.
Vince Staples
Flume
+ Vince Staples & Kučka
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
The ambassador for Australian electronic music known as Flume has dropped by Triple J to do Like A Version for the very first time. Currently on his biggest Australian tour to date, Flume showed up with a whole bunch of friends – Vince Staples, who is in town as the main support act for Flume, Vera Blue, Ngaiire, Kai and Kučka. Staples, Kai and Kučka all feature on Skin, while Vera Blue and Ngaiire joined him on stage at Splendour in the Grass.
Although Vince and Kučka were both in tow, he didn’t play [my personal favourite track on the album] Smoke & Retribution. Instead, he delivered a really beautiful rendition of smash hit Never Be Like You with Kai in the lead and Vera Blue, Kučka and Ngaiire on backup vocals.
For his cover, Flume brought Ghost Town DJs’ My Boo to life, with the help of Vince Staples and Kučka, along with Vera and Ngaiire on backing vocals. Watch both here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqdAc56tfSM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miqsQf7ZvCU
Not only did Flume finally release his sophomore album this year, the extremely packed in follow-up to his genre-defying eponymous debut, but he’s just released a short companion EP too, which included a collaboration with Preatures singer Isabella Manfredi.
Read our in-depth review of Flume, Skin
Flume is currently on tour in Australia along with special guests Vince Staples and SOPHIE. Check out the remaining dates below:
December 2 | Brisbane, QLD | Riverstage (SOLD OUT)
December 9 | Sydney, NSW | Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena)
December 10 | Sydney, NSW | Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena)
December 15 | Melbourne, VIC | Sidney Myer Music Bowl (SOLD OUT)
December 16 | Melbourne, VIC | Sidney Myer Music Bowl (SOLD OUT)
December 17 | Adelaide, SA | Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Image: Triple J/Twitter
ComplexCon is a big convention organised by Complex magazine, and includes performances, fashion, food and more. The media company has been busy releasing a tonne of fun videos, interviews and panel discussions with rappers and many other musicians over the past couple of days.
One of the main aspects of ComplexCon and hip-hop culture in general is sneakers, and videos have now been released of both French Montana and Vince Staples looking through the massive Nike pop-up store and sharing their thoughts on sneakers and style.
French Montana proudly talks about the many hundreds of sneakers he owns, particularly Air Jordans and Air Force 1s. In the video he’s seen wearing really cool custom sneaks, which are white; he then spoke about how you can only wear white sneakers once, and that he would go through more than a hundred in a year. That’s a lot of sneakers! He continues to brag about how he has a pair for every single outfit – “If it’s 30 days [on tour], that’s 30 pairs of shoes.”
The most the 23-year-old has ever spent on a single pair of sneakers was $2000 for purple Foam Pilots, a special Jordan range. Wow.
Anyway it goes on like that for a while. It’s pretty standard fare for how you’d expect a rapper to talk about sneakers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBSYTaXjx4c
Vince Staples, meanwhile, seems like a fucking amazing dude in comparison. He talks about how he used to spend a lot of money on sneakers but that he stopped as he got older. These days, he’s more of a Converse man. “It’s a price point thing,” he says, recalling a time when he met a fan who asked him about his shoes. “He was like, ‘man I wish I had those shoes,’ and it made me feel like shit.” He says that he never wanted to own anything that a fan of his couldn’t have, so that they wouldn’t feel “beneath” him. “I got some shit,” he admits, but overall he tries to connect with his fans on a level that’s so different to the way so many of his contemporaries approach fashion and money.
Vince goes on to talk about the growing relationship between sneakers and musicians, talking about brand collaborations with Rihanna, Eminem, Kanye and more. He talks about how shoes are mass produced, unlike music, so he appreciates the respect that it shows for musicians. He called Eminem’s shoes “trash,” but that he fucks with the Roc-a-fella pair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0c_9SIr2I8
Thank you Vince Staples for your ongoing contributions to the growth and development of hip-hop culture in 2016, and for cultivating an engaging and inviting experience for your fans – and even your haters. You’re a sparkling stone among the rough and we love everything that you do and say.
Image: Complex/Youtube
Most people heard Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06, his debut studio album, last year and thought it was the cat’s pyjamas. A fresh new face in hip-hop planting his flag and doing it with charismatic and intelligent force. Norf Norf was one of the standout tracks from that record, a banging, gritty ode to Staples’ home of the ‘Norfside’ in Long Beach, California.
Someone who caught the memo very late and was less than appreciative of Vince’s creative talents though is a mother of four, who took to everybody’s soapbox of choice in YouTube to film a frankly bonkers 11 minute response to hearing the song on the radio in front of her children. Just… just watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv2uJRkeSY4
If you can’t bring yourself to sit through 11 minutes of pure cringe I’ll break it down. The whole clusterfuck starts off innocuously enough, the lady stating that she was listening to “that radio station” her kids love, pining for the days when they used to play music for white people who secretly hate music like The Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera. From there it devolves into utterly shithat insanity as she recaps her morning, usually spent in ignorant bliss listening to ear-piss like Meghan Trainor and Christian music before that reprehensible thug Vince Staples ruthlessly ruined everything with “this crap”.
The “cuss words” might have been bleeped out but she didn’t come down in the last shower and could “still dictate what they’re saying” and was not happy one little bit. “As a mom it infuriated me”-levels of not happy even. She breaks down into tears before reciting the lyrics in the most surreal thing you will see today. With her daughter playing innocently in the background, she, employing a flow that would make William Shatner sound like Tupac, starts dropping bars from the first verse like “bitch you thirsty, please grab a Sprite”, “we can dip, fuck in the whip, slide right back” and “cocaine colour of a creole” (which she somehow pronounces as “crello” because fuck learning about cultures that don’t worship Toby Keith as a false idol). She doesn’t hesitate in sticking the landing on every n-word either.
The best part of the whole thing? She gets to the chorus and pronounces Norfside as “Nerfside” and I think I have several broken ribs from laughing. She’s hysterical by the end of her run-through, with vague religious connotations suggesting she was “meant to hear it to let you guys know about it”.
Me turning off my radio before Vince Staples reaches his gnarled talons through the speakers and steals my soul.
The SparkNotes summary for her entire monologue to play it out is basically “won’t somebody please think of the children”. In fact she says we need to pray for our youth, who already deal with horrors like “social media, pressure at school”, and now Vince Staples, who the entire time she wasn’t even aware wrote the song.
It’s unintentionally hilarious but also really fucking frustrating. In typical conservative overreaction laced with self-absorption and sheer arrogance, she hasn’t even bothered to try and interpret the lyrics or the context of the song, which are in no way a glorification of drugs and violence but simply Staples recounting his own harrowing experiences growing up in this area. Nobody is forcing her to listen to the radio or to anything Vince Staples has to say but she sobs as if rap music is an omnipresent evil being thrust upon her against her will. You just know there are countless others out there probably considering her to be brave for making this instead of bin-worthy.
Thankfully this video went viral for comedy reasons and not the downright embarrassing fear-mongering and the silencing of black voices that this woman seeks to achieve with this ridiculous rant. At least the Internet has a damn good sense of humour:
https://twitter.com/AveryGinsberg/status/783421266728407040?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
https://twitter.com/yung_fetus/status/783458647359692800
Does the mom that cried over reading @vincestaples #NorfNorf not realize that the song slaps?
— Jack Seiffert (@JackSeiffert) October 4, 2016
Somebody’s even remixed it already, laying the Norf Norf beat underneath mom because God is indeed watching us. Now all we need is a Vince Staples Reviews Every Fucking Thing on this and we can leave it in the trash where it belongs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhsl2Jvk9PI
Image: DJ Booth
Last week, Travis Scott released his latest full length studio album, Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight. Now I have to say that before it dropped my hype levels weren’t huge. Rodeo was a pretty lukewarm effort, and while a sophomore album generally indicates an improvement or refinement of skills, hopes weren’t high for Birds. So when my phone politely bleeped with a notification around the time of release, I plugged in my headphones somewhat reservedly. The first beats of the ends trickled through. Scott’s heavily auto-tuned voice belted from the ambient synths, announcing “2 AM howlin’ outside/Lookin’ but I cannot find.” My hopes were beginning to rise. André 3000 dropped in for a verse (not as stunning as his verse on Frank Ocean’s latest, but still solid), and the opening track painted a pretty great picture for the rest of the album.
However by the time that the closer rolled around, some 54 minutes later, Birds was wearing thin. The rapping was still as strong as ever, with subtle lyricism and flow that is hard to improve on. It showed that Travis Scott was a competent story teller, and a class-A rapper. The incredibly heavy use of auto-tune was bold (or safe, depending on who you’re talking to), and it mostly paid off (there were a few moments when it could have been scaled back, or even ditched). Production-wise, that’s another story.
The entire album is full of the most stereotypical trap/hip-hop beats you could imagine. The old kick-reverb-distorted-bass combo is there, along with that (increasingly insufferable) tick-tick-tick noise (AKA Rolling Hi-Hats) that seems to be in every amateur rap song released in the last year. There’s no variation. Only the intros and outros of each track offer any sense of musical deviation from the bog standard, and even there it’s only one or two bars of a different synth before the drums kick in. It’s frustrating to listen to, even more so on repeated spins. No matter how amazing the rapping is, it’s ruined by such generic and, ultimately, boring production. And the sting is made worse by the fact that there’s so much good production out there. Like, a lot.
One need only look as far as Kanye West to see how production is done right. Sure, he was a producer before he was known as a rapper, but that’s besides the point. Production is one of the most important aspects of hip-hop, and Kanye, among many others, gets it so right. Every one of his albums has had its own distinctive style, with the production lending a sense of cohesion to the album as a whole. Yeezus was so well produced that many people consider the rapping secondary to the beats (but we’ll save that debate for another day). It was harsh, daring and above all, exciting. It’s this quality that Travis Scott lacks on this album. Cut and paste beats aren’t good enough to support his rapping. Good production is what elevates a great rapper to legendary status. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy may have been one of Kanye’s more “traditional” rap albums; it’s the production that’s contributed so heavily to its place among the greatest hip-hop records of all time. His use of auto-tune was smart, with Runaway using it more as a vocoder than a vocal enhancement or a veil. The beats were layered and complex, often utilising creative samples and new sounds, rather than wheeling out the same, vapid trends that we’ve all heard before.
Other great examples include both Run The Jewels albums (El-P is without doubt one of hip-hop’s greatest producers), and Kendrick Lamar‘s To Pimp A Butterfly. Not only a stunning hip-hop album thematically and lyrically, but the musical backing, as unorthodox as it is, similarly contributed to it immediately becoming a timeless masterpiece. It’s the experimentation with new sounds, cross-genre blends and unusual, challenging rhythms that make these records sound so good. El-P toys with heavy, almost industrial beats and post-apocalyptic instrumental layers which add feverish power to he and Killer Mike’s already dextrous verses. K.dot’s ability to conceptualise an album so dense, over beats which blend jazz, soul, electronic (not just any electronic either, but Flying Lotus, who originally gave those beats to Kendrick) and so much more, is quite simply astounding. The jazz-inspired musical style was revolutionary in the world of mainstream hip-hop, and propelled Lamar from a place of quiet success to one of the biggest names in the industry. Even Action Bronson continues to collaborate with the likes of Mark Ronson to produce some of the smoothest beats this side of Queens, and ScHoolboy Q can deliver an extremely heavy gangsta rap album with soul, melodies, and dynamic hooks. In a world where Vince Staples can release an album bookended by James Blake productions, and where De La Soul can release something so surprisingly funky as And The Anonymous Nobody so late into their career, how can we justify the hype surrounding hip-hop where the beats fail to match the lyrics?
Image: Hypebeast