The Complex Staff Reacts to Vince Staples' Debut Album, 'Summertime '06'

Favorite Song: "3230"

There’s a lot going on here, mainly because there’s a lot to Vince Staples. The 22-year-old Def Jam signee is at once an unapologetic product of the seedier alleys of Long Beach, Calif., and a kid desperately coping with his reality. He wants to walk with his chest out, not cringe or cry when his friends are shot down, make his mother proud, find peace in a world that hates people who look like him, and find love. It’s a lot. It’s so much in fact that Summertime '06 at times feels unfocused, as if it’s trying to cram too many thoughts into two discs. That said, it’s a wholly enthralling listen. The production, handled mostly by No I.D. with some guest spots by DJ Dahi and Clams Casino, is quirky and menacing, perfect for Vince who wants to relate the horrors and misfortunes that he’s kept pent up inside of him. It's clear he's still figuring it all out. It'll be very interesting to see how his career develops. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves: If Hell Can Wait shocked you, Summertime '06 will put you on your ass. 

Favorite Song: "Surf" 

I interviewed Summertime '06's executive producer, No I.D., the other day (interview coming soon!), and when we were talking about Vince Staples, the Chicago producer described the Long Beach rapper as a sort of "gangsta rapper in skinny jeans." That rang true to me about his previous work, and it rings true of his debut album; Vince's perspective is always pleasantly enlightened. However, Vince's previous material isn't as indicative of this album as I thought it would be. This album features a much harder, more industrial sound, but its soundscape feels like a product of Long Beach's (and L.A. in general's) sprawling expanse. 

Double album gimmick aside (the album is 8 minutes shorter than Drake's last album), the album's greatest asset is the economical song structure, which helps tracks seamlessly bleed into each other. It never doubles down on any particular perspective either; you can never quite pin down where Vince is going next. Admittedly, the song writing isn't quite what I hoped it would be; there aren't many hooks caught in my head off one listen. Though, the one line that stuck out to me the most was on "Surf" when he rapped, "When the smoke clear, why was the war fought?"

This is a hyperbole-filled slippery slope—as anyone who saw Vince's scene-stealing cameo in Dope this weekend will tell you—but here goes: If South Central today is Queensbridge in the '90s, then Kendrick's good kid, m.A.A.d. city is Nas' Illmatic, and YG's My Krazy Life is CNN's The War Report, then Vince Staples Summertime '06 is Mobb Deep's The Infamous. I hope that still makes sense to me when I listen again tomorrow. 

Favorite Song: "Señorita"

I'm a Vince Staples Philistine, so I went into this album just for the sake of discussing rap with my co-workers completely cold. Aaaaand 57 minutes later, I gotta be honest: Your boy hasn't gained a new fan in me. I have no earthly idea what the hell I was up to during my own summertime '06, but I'm willing to admit it wasn't enough to make an album out of, much less a song. Unfortunately, Vince's really isn't all that thrilling either. Cool production, as expected when the bulk is handled by the likes of No I.D. and DJ Dahi, but at the same time the soundscape was a bit too consistent, almost monotonous. Dude obviously raps competently but...nothing grabbed me. I appreciated the experimentation on certain tracks, but the only song I really felt was the one most blatantly out of his lane. It's true "Señorita" sounds more like a Future song that he graciously gifted. The subject matter starts off promising (talk of "New Slaves"-type themes and religion), but even as the topics shuffled, the execution waned in intrigue. Not bad, but not that great either. *Larry David shrug*

Favorite Song: "3230"

This is warehouse rap, with fat flashes of Massive Attack and Run the Jewels. There's great stuff here, most notably "Norf Norf," which features Vince's slickest, Double Dutch flow and a harassing Gchat notification; and "Jump Off the Roof," with its favela gospel bravado. Honestly, I got hung up on "3230" for an hour or so this morning; it's the spooky, phantasmal sort of earworm that'll likely travel with me via iPhone for the rest of 2015 and, hopefully, beyond. "Señorita" is cool, too. Cheers to the strongest Def Jam rapper debut since YG in the spring of last year.

Favorite Song: "Jump Off the Roof"

The first Vince Staples song I ever really got into was 2012's "Twitch" from the Winter in Prague mixtape that he did with Michael Uzowuru. It's a cold narrative that follows a woman who gets pregnant and eventually has an abortion when she realizes the guy wants nothing to do with the kid. Staples has always had that bleak storytelling element in his songs, and also that dark production that complements his gritty voice so well, and it's still present on Summertime '06, but not as much as it was on Hell Can Wait. Maybe it's because Summertime '06 is such a stark, industrial-sounding album (see: "Street Punks"); this isn't a place for stories. Instead the thoughts are piecemeal, sometimes disjointed, the melodies clipped, as he offers up flashes of day-to-day living: waking up, moving through the neighborhood, avoiding the cops, making mom proud, staying alive.