Vince Staples' upcoming project, Stolen Youth, will apparently be produced entirely by Mac Miller, who has adopted the alias Larry Fisherman, at least for producer credits. This song, "Guns & Roses," won't strike you with the characteristic Mac attack of boisterous playfulness, and may take several listens before interpretations start to make sense, but it is a story worth attention.
In the first two verses, Vince describes the lives of the "young and hopeless," subject to what he calls the "guns and roses," then in the third verse, he begins to rap in the first person. In recounting his own response to aspects of his neighborhood and life at home, he decides to avoid becoming a victim in the way that the other characters had fallen, making a distinction between himself and whoever he's referring to in the second person.
Listen below, then listen to it again.
