New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today,
Vince Staples released the official music video for "ARE YOU WITH THAT?" off his new self-titled album out now via Blacksmith Recordings / Motown Records. The video for the "moody slow jam" (Rolling Stone) - also described by NPR as a "somber summer anthem for Staples' hometown of North Long Beach" - was directed by Jack Begert (Doja Cat, ScHoolboy Q).
"ARE YOU WITH THAT?" is the second video Staples has shared from the project, following "LAW OF AVERAGES," which he debuted ahead of the album's release. Available to watch BELOW, the video features a montage of voyeuristic moments in Long Beach, CA with imagery that highlights
Black joy and the beauty within the fringes.
Of the new Kenny Beats-produced LP, Staples says, "This project really gives much more information about me that wasn't out there before. That's why I went with that title. I feel like I've been trying to tell the same story. As you go on in life, your point of view changes. This is another take on myself that I might not have had before."
Throughout the 10-track album, Staples ropes in recordings of intimate chats with loved ones for poignant interludes that provide insight into who he is. "THE APPLE & THE TREE" features his mother recalling moments she let anger push her into a situation, hindsight now tells her succumbing to anger did nothing to serve her. "LAKEWOOD MALL" stars one of Vince's best friends Pac Slim remembering a night where Vince decided not to go to a party that ended in gunshots. Other standout tracks include "ARE YOU WITH THAT?" and "TAKE ME HOME," which showcase his dynamic musicality and knack for layering hard-hitting bars over infectious beats that push the creative envelope.
Elsewhere on the LP, we discover that Staples deals with the anxiety of not being able to decipher friend from foe at times as who cruises through streets he grew up on. Moreover, the tug of war between the music star life and staying planted in the soil he bloomed from doesn't seem to gnaw at him as it does with others as fortunate as he.
The celebrated rapper's latest body of work is also just the beginning of his busy 2021. He is currently working on several creative projects with additional details to be announced throughout the year.
"I'm a mind more than I am an entertainer to a lot of people," Staples says, adding, "I appreciate that my fanbase is willing to go on this ride with me. I'm ready to diversify what we're doing and see how we affect the world."
"Vince's knack for combining brevity and sly wordplay, together with Kenny Beats' restrained production, make the album particularly lucid from start to finish"-Rolling Stone
"Vince and Kenny Beats have easy chemistry in and out of the booth because both are consistently proving how adaptable they are to any facet of rap…They're two unstoppable forces…there's fire to be found even in the duo's quietest moments."-Pitchfork
"The sound of
Vince Staples doesn't distract from the concise and powerful writing that's always characterized his work, giving the listener no choice but to sit in the experience Staples is narrating and feel it."-NPR Music
"The stripped-back beats put Vince's words front and center, and he delivers some of the most personal (and well-written) verses of his career so far."-COMPLEX
"Vince Staples is idiosyncratic and really impressive, the sound of someone walking their own path, uncoupled from current trends, shifting and changing as they go."-The Guardian
"Kenny Beats has helped Long Beach's finest release another spectacular record"-NME
"Another superb outlier from a rapper who excels in them...5 Stars!"-The Independent
VINCE STAPLES TRACK LIST
1. ARE YOU WITH THAT?
2. LAW OF AVERAGES
3. SUNDOWN TOWN
4. THE SHINING
5. TAKING TRIPS
6. THE APPLE & THE TREE
7. TAKE ME HOME
8. LIL FADE
9. LAKEWOOD MALL
10. MHM.
