Vince Staples - FM! (#2/5 Outside Albums of 2018)

The brief album/project FM! was one of the year’s many short-notice hip hop releases, that I and many others were surprised to find to be Vince Staples’ best work so far. His full-length effort last year, Big Fish Theory, had some serious bangers across its track list, but it was a bit inconsistent, dry, and Vince wasn’t really as dominant of a presence behind the microphone when mellower production required him to be, save perhaps for the excellent lead single, “Big Fish”. It’s been good seeing Vince getting more spotlight these days (even if it did come partially as a result of a pearl-clutching mother’s heartbroken reaction to his song, “Norf Norf”), because even as inconsistent as he is both lyrically and from a performative standpoint, I think his blunt honesty about his unique perspectives is beneficial to hip hop and the people listening to it. Vince’s openness and unhindered expression of his thoughts is of course a bit of a double-edged sword, as he will speak both wisdom and questionable/unsubstantiated nonsense with the same confidence, sometimes in the same breath. When he’s sharp, though, he’s sharp, and on FM!, he is quick and sharp. The album is only 22 minutes long, but it shows such a huge and surprising improvement on the faults that plagued, not only Big Fish Theory, but Summertime ‘06 as well. The album features a less occasionally experimental and more “mainstream” production approach compared to Big Fish Theory, but it works in Vince’s favor because the most dramatic difference on this project compared to the last few is Vince’s greatly improved presence behind the microphone. Vince, on FM!, sounds slicker, cooler, and more confident than ever before, and the production here accents his character as an M.C. rather than overshadowing his lackluster performances on albums past. Songs like “Relay”, “Run the Bands”, and (my personal favorite) “Outside!” feature some of Vince’s coolest and most unique flows over more well-constructed lyrics, with songs like “Don’t Get Chipped”, “FUN!”, and “Feels Like Summer” with some of the best hooks on a Vince project to date. Structurally and conceptually unique as well, the album’s short tracks mimic a short span of radio show airplay with DJ interludes, new track teasers from other artists, and even a call-in segment to complete the feel, and it feels smooth and natural rather than forced, which it easily could have. The “summer-vibe” the album starts with and portrays on the cover seem like an odd choice for an album released deep into autumn, but the intro track’s carefree mood is quickly lyrically and instrumentally dismantled across the album’s candid portrayal of the ugly side of the lifestyle that Vince criticizes hip hop’s more naïve fans for idolizing, if not choosing to disregard the artists’ serious plights in the music they listen to. It’s an album that makes itself the most infectious and easily interactive out of all those of Vince’s catalog, while Vince still relays the experiences of Long Beach street life in a manner that challenges the listeners’ very comprehension of their enjoyment of the album. Its structure lends itself to easy digestion, but once it gets in the system it brings up some ugly realities behind it. In that sense, it’s an incredibly well-crafted, rewarding, and still indeed enjoyable album, and my favorite from Vince to date.