On paper, Vince Staples' Long Beach origins, gang affiliation and grim subject matter would lead some to write him off as just another gangsta rapper from Los Angeles County (see: YG), but skillfully executed songs like "Senorita" prove he's much more than that.
Over a Christian Rich beat that feels more Atlanta than L.A., we get Staples' signature cynicism and dark humor in trap mode — complete with a vocal sample of Future's "Covered N Money" for full effect.
A simple, but no less chilling piano loop is paired with a booming, ominous bass line and clipped percussion to give Staples the perfect canvas on which to paint his vivid picture of gangbanger pathology: "That's somebody's son / but a war to be won / baby, either gon' hunt or be hunted / We crabs in a bucket, he called me a 'crab' / so I shot him in front of the Douglas / I cannot be f***** with, we thuggin' in public." Momentary remorse gives way to survival instinct in his kill-or-be-killed world.
Sure, we've heard similar stories before, but Staples' dexterous flow and gift for description — of both environs outside and conflict within — make him one of the most consistently impressive rappers around.
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