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Album Review: "Hell Can Wait" - Vince Staples
RnB/Hip Hop | Wednesday 5th November 2014 | Lee
Growing up in Long Beach, California, young rapper Vince Staples quickly discovered fame through his frequent collaborations with the popular hip-hop collective Odd Future. Staples’ input on such tracks as Earl Sweatshirt’s ‘Hive’ and Mike G’s ‘Moracular World’ displayed the artist’s potential and his dynamic rhyming flow. He’s since gone on to have mixtapes produced by Mac Miller and former Kanye West associate NO I.D.
Those mixtapes weren’t groundbreaking hip-hop releases, but his talent was evident to many and proved exciting enough for Def Jam Records to sign him up and release Staples’ first commercial record. It’s only an EP at this stage, but the young rapper’s creation here is up there with the most explosive music released in 2014.
Vince Staples, now 21, opens Hell Can Wait with the aptly titled ‘Fire’. It’s an enthralling track, the rapper lyrical talent present but as it’s an opener Staples chooses to make it as catchy as possible with the hook “I’m probably finna go to Hell anyway” and match that with the force of Anthony Kilhofer’s production and the rapper achieves his first objective excellently.
Staples then moves on to ’65 Hunnid’. Another track utilising its chorus effectively, but the rapper displays more reliance on lyrical wit. Staples here, as the title would suggest, flirts with the importance of finance throughout in his lyrics and frequently observes the lengths to which so many go to get it, many of which aren’t exactly legal. He works it with a maturity and a line such as “Common sense missing from your head when the pressure on” proves a worthy example of Staples' overall ethos for the album.
In truth, many of the tracks heard on Hell Can Wait show Staples as someone with an intellect beyond his years. The rapper’s flow is insane throughout, with the EP’s penultimate ‘Limos’ a real testament to his talent. Backed with the soulful voice of Teyana Taylor, Staples excels with his verses and the end result is a track with an intensity greater than anything else on the release.
Taking clear inspiration from the legendary Eazy-E in regards to his lightning quick speed, this young artist is making a name for himself and with the consistency of brilliance presented on Hell Can Wait, the inspired young rapper will be a established star in no time at all.
