California

VINCE STAPLES reminds me of those singers who have impeccable, unfathomable voices and energy, which remain on par live as on their records. I’m talking the likes of D’Angelo, Thandiswa Mazwai and The Brother Moves On.

Over the last week and a half I’ve been listening to Staples’ third studio album FM! and during that period, I was fortunate enough to see the 25 year-old from North Long Beach, California performing at Soweto’s Zone 6 for the Capsule Festival. I’m always fascinated by album titles and covers, in my first interaction with a musician’s project, before delving into the tracks. Often the name of the album and its art make sense as I listen to the music. Like pieces of a puzzle, it all comes together with each track.

FM! is themed as a takeover of LA radio station show, Big Boy’s Neighbourhood, hosted by Big Boy. It opens with Feels Like Summer which ironically is meant to celebrate how Long Beach always feels like summer, but Vince paints a picture of the dangers in his hood in the verses. He pulls from personal experiences, where he lost a friend at 15 years-old while they were just playing ball. I was slightly surprised to learn that Don’t Get Chipped where he features Jay Rock, is the first song where the two West Coast kats share the mic. I enjoyed the track, particularly the first verse where he raps…

Can’t wait ’til I’m rich, I’m finna buy a whole
Crate of guns, for my naughty Crips,
Shit I really come from the slum
Time to represent, let me see you bang, where you from?
Don’t be acting spooked, I’m a troop, I don’t give a fuck,
I just wana live it up, use to make ’em give it up,
Flockin’ is for hoes, I’ma take somebody soul,
If he don’t give me what he own, now I’m getting what I’m owed,
You ain’t seen me at a show? Oh, you missing out,
Swear I bring the realest out,
Everybody know me who’s somebody to know
(Who somebody to know)
Watch me mind my business my business while I’m counting my dough
(Counting my dough)
Stay away from citches who would clown me before
(Would clown me before)
On the road to riches, they gon’step on your toes
Sammy told me that a change gon’come
(Gon’come)
I’m not going if my gang won’t come
(won’t come)
If you see me pull that thang, don’t run
(Don’t run)
Playing ball, if I swing home run

I can’t say I’m a Staples fan, I appreciate some of his joints. But more than that, I’ve always respected how he thinks and delivers his ideas and thoughts, on beats that can get any party started. He is quite dark, largely because of gang activity he witnessed growing up on the West Coast. But he merges that eerie side of him with the music, which makes for good art. The effect this contrast has on an audience when he’s performing, is good on the eye. Like when he performed Lift Me Up from his Summertime ’06 project, just before the end of his set at Zone 6, most of the club was in a jump.

His set at Capsule Festival was after midnight, with most of us tired and just waiting to see Staples on stage. He played tracks from his previous work from Big Fish Theory, Summertime ’06 and even invited Yugen Blakrok on stage to perform the Opps  they did together for the Kendrick Lamar curated Black Panther soundtrack.

Vince’s fans in Soweto had familiarised themselves with his new album, that as soon as Outside! came on, the atmosphere in the club became feverish. Standing on the second floor, I could see the crowd’s unfiltered reaction.
“We didn’t expect this many people and I didn’t expect this much love, so thank you, thank you, thank you. But before I get out of here…shhhhh! I just need one thing, everybody repeat after me, ‘Oh yea, oh yea, oh year right…” said the rapper interacting with his fans, just before playing crowd favourite Yea Right.