Vince Staples Offers Up Some Fresh Sounds In "FM!"

It’s always an interesting listen when a rapper takes a creative risk with an entire album. That’s what Vince Staples set out to do on his newest record. Vince Staples offers up some fresh sounds in FM!, a dark yet deceiving record that brings strong messages and cool vibes.

FM! kicks off with some scene-setting. ‘Feels Like Summer‘ opens the record with a bunch of radio hosts, before Staples comes in with some fire. It’s a weird but its a fresh start, introducing the album in just the right way. ‘Outside!‘ follows up similarly, with a fun and summery beat but a clear dark message that Staples makes sure to deliver with a conviction. A lot of the record follows this sort of whimsical-yet-dark formula, songs like ‘Relay‘ having this sarcastic mood to it even though the beat is pretty punchy all around.

Staples wanted to make a statement with FM!, and it really shows in every moment of the album. ‘Don’t Get Chipped‘ has this very heavy and distorted beat, bringing a certain anger with it. ‘Run The Bands‘ is similar, its mechanical beat heavy and almost overwhelming as it continuously hits you again and again. The whole record isn’t just a dark and heavy tirade, though. Tracks like ‘FUN!‘ have a more interesting groove to it, keeping things interesting and fresh while still getting the message across. The ‘(562) 453-9382’ skit leaves you very confused as it’s almost entirely just a call in to a radio station, but thankfully ‘Tweakin’‘ takes the record out on a fun note.

Vince Staples offers up some fresh sounds in FM!, his new record that keeps it cool on the surface while delivering some blistering messages. Each song has it’s own specific vibe that caters to one idea, and each song definitely has some fire to it.

Favorite Track: Tweakin’

Least Favorite Track: (562) 453-9382 (Skit)

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy FM! on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: