By TOMMY MCDONALD
During his first two mixtapes, Vince Staples seemed like he would likely fade out of view as another internet rapper affiliated with Odd Future.
2013 was a turning point for Staples as he landed a slot as an opening act on a national tour with Mac Miller and Chance the Rapper, and released a mixtape, entirely produced by Mac Miller under his alias Larry Fisherman with a strong roster of features from notable rappers like ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.
Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 cemented Vince Staples as a rapper here to stay. Although the project clocks in under 30 minutes, listeners gets their fair share of Staples because there are no features from other rappers and none of the tracks deserve to be skipped. He starts with “Progressive 3,” a track with no hook, just straight bars that sets the tone of the mixtape. It is clear Staples will flex his lyrical abilites all over the next nine tracks like he does on the intro.
On “Locked and Loaded,” Staples discusses living a gang lifestyle with “Locked and Loaded” referring to his gun, which is just another thing to grab before leaving his house. “Humble” makes Staples’ motto, “getting to the check”, clear as he repeats “(expletive) you” in the hook, a total of 16 times in less than three minutes over a gritty instrumental. He continues this theme of guns and gangs on the more introspective “45”. “Oh You Scared” is a low point in the project where Staples receives a hazy hook from singer Jhene Aiko. The track is not bad, but since it is the third slow song in a row, it brings the project to a halt because of the repetition of tempo.
The project picks up the pace on the eerie “Trunk Rattle,” another song about Staples’ childhood and guns. Track 7, “Nate,” which features singer James Fauntleroy, gives the listeners their first up-tempo track. Staples switches the focus from guns and himself to his relationship with his dad who was a drug dealer. The song showcases his ability to create a narrative, spit lyrical bars and form a catchy hook all in one song. This song shows Staples’ progression from his earlier work, and one can see the formation of Staples from a rapper who tried to come up with clever wordplay to one incorporating other aspects of songwriting like hook-writing, story telling and voice inflection. Although the beat is upbeat like Staples’ life appeared to him while he was growing up, powerful lines like “Black bandana on his arm needle in his hand momma trying to wake him up, young so I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t let my daddy sleep,” and “As a kid all I wanted was to kill a man be like my daddy’s friends, hopping out that minivan,” show that as Staples steps back from his upbringing he realizes the harsh reality of what he has lived.
“Turn” is the only true banger on the project, and Staples does a commendable job incorporating lyrics with a hard delivery and beat. “Shots” sounds like Vince is taking a victory lap after the eight previous tracks, but that does not mean he won’t take the opportunity to rap about his life before rap. This could be the ending, but then Staples sneaks in “Earth Science,” one of the project’s best tracks. He turns his focus from growing up in a gang-filled community to a girl. As before Staples is impartial to what has happened, he is hurt and bitter on “Earth Science,” but not completely, as in the hook he admits his love to her by saying he never said he did not love her, not dropping his “too cool” persona to actually admit he loves her. The track rivals “Nate” as the best story on the project, each with equally moving topics.
Just as fast as the project began, the beat cuts out on the final track leaving the listener in a bitter place like how Staples feels about his relationship with the girl he raps about in “Earth Science.” Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 displays Staples rapping over outstanding production with a fresh feel about a variety of topics but nine times out of 10 relating to guns or gang activity.
Staples makes a noticeable improvement over his already solid lyrics on Stolen Youth, his previous project. Staples has eradicated any doubt that his last project’s quality was a fluke by not only not using any guest bars, but by surpassing its quality; the only question left is if how much better he can get by the time he releases his next album.
The 411
Album Title: Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2
Release date: Mar. 13, 2014
Cost: Free download and stream, on Soundcloud
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Content: Explicit