[rayword45]

Day 408: Big Fish Theory by Vince Staples

So... Is 2017 the year of Odd Future members working past their cringy edgelord mannerisms and improving all around? If that's the case, I can't WAIT for the new Earl Sweatshirt release. As for this, well I heard it was good. I don't think ANYBODY ever cared about Vince before this one dropped, so let's see what the hype is about.

Lyrically, this is really thin. Like, really thin. I cannot remember a single worthwhile line and I was reading through Genius, the closest thing being Party People. Maybe I'm just not the target audience for his prose. The flow and delivery is also done in such a way to not evoke interest, really lazy and mumbled delivery that gets pretty repetitive. Whenever a guest hook appears it's a much-needed breath of fresh air.

But to spoil things early, this isn't gonna be a negative review. While the "rap" aspect of this album is subpar, the beats are phenomenal. I'm a raver so I like deep bass, danceability and garage-y sounds, and this has all 3! And it doesn't get too samey in this realm, thank GOD. Love Can Be... and Crabs In A Bucket feel like they belong on Warp Records with their groovy, almost acidic beats, whereas tracks like Yeah Right and Homage play out like bangers at a party where the bass boost is cranked.

I wish Staples' delivery was more engaging and his lyrical content doesn't justify his monotonic flow the way it does people like Earl, but the beats are probably what matters, because as the kids say, nobody gives a fuck about lyrics, right?

No, wrong, but whatever. Good album. A grower probably. Who's next from the OFWGKTA clan to escape suckitude? I place my bets on Taco.

Best Track: Love Can Be...
Rating: 7/10