Fader has revealed its latest cover story on Vince Staples, and the interview finds the Long Beach native getting personal. One of the article's biggest themes is the dual nature of his relationship with hip-hop: he cares meticulously for his music, but also rejects many of the traditional trappings of the genre. One of the reasons is because he can't relate to rappers who put on a front of being someone they aren't. "Rappers is busters. Niggas can’t lie to me. I’ve been around too long." he says. “Rappers be tucking their tiny T-shirts into baggy jeans just to show they bought a $500 dollar belt. They ain’t shooting nobody, bro.”
He also explains the disconnect between mainstream hip-hop culture and the lives of the people it claims to represent. “Niggas from my neighborhood are dying and getting 15-to-life, and people use music as a distraction," he says. "I didn’t feel connected to hip-hop growing up. I never wanted a chain or a mansion. I just wanted niggas to stop dying.”
This attitude is reflected in Vince's personal lifestyle. He reveals he hates spending money, showing very little joy after purchasing a BMW 325i. Perhaps due to his frugality, his credit score sits at an impressive 710. “Hard work pays off," he says. "You don’t get shit for nothing.” He doesn't seem to desire the fame and notoriety that many of his rap peers do, instead repeatedly insisting on wanting to be seen as "regular." “When you act regular, they treat you regular," he says of the public, adding that he ultimately wants to be "normal" and "a family dude."
It is also revealed that Vince has a new six-song EP, titled Prima Donna, on the way soon which features production from James Blake and DJ Dahi. Although Vince doesn't talk about the project directly, the article claims it's probably going to come out sometime this summer. This would be Vince's first project since he dropped his Def Jam debut Summertime '06 last year.
You can read his entire Fader interview here and check out a video of Vince explaining some of his more controversial comments on topics like Drake and Michael Jordan above.
