In an era where mainstream hip hop tends to focus on fashion, drugs or having a good time, Vince Staples has a refreshing take on the negative aspects of gang violence and police brutality.
Notable for his collaborations with Odd Future, the 21-year-old Long Beach native has completed well-received projects such as his collaboration with Mac Miller for 2013’s “Stolen Youth” mixtape as well as his own Shyne Coldchain mixtapes.
“Hell Can Wait” is Staples’ first commercial project, and it was released under Def Jam on Oct. 7.
Spanning less than 25 minutes and only featuring singer Teyana Taylor, the EP is a bit on the short side, but what it lacks in quantity is made up in quality.
On this EP, Staples starts off with “Fire,” in which he vividly recalls details of his summer before high school.
He repeats, “I’m probably finna go to hell anyway,” as a way to denounce his affinity with religion and the harsh environment he grew up in.
Staples has shined on minimal gritty tracks such as his feature on Earl Sweatshirt’s “Hive,” and he does it again on “Screen Door” where his father’s lifestyle of selling narcotics is embellished by vivid descriptions.
The lyrical social commentary Staples deploys in “Hands Up,” is a response to all the recent problems of abusive authority in the United States. Lines such as, ”I guess pigs split wigs for the greater good/ Cause I ain’t see them lock up a swine up yet / At most they reassign them to protest,” brazenly showcases Staples’ stance on the situation.
“Blue Suede,” the first single off “Hell Can Wait,” adds a reminiscent sound to early ‘90s g-funk, while Staples brings to light a day in the life of a gangster in California.
With an extremely catchy hook, “New shoes with the blue suede / Young graves get the bouquets / Hope I outlive them red roses,” Staples makes references to loyalties to the streets.
“Hell Can Wait” is a concise mixtape from Staple and adds to the impressive catalogue in the past few years for the West Coast hip hop scene.