Scene

Vince Staples had already stormed his way up, near the top of my favourite musical folk list with his previously releases and after enjoying his latest project 'Prima Donna EP' it's safe to say that Staples won't be leaving that list any time soon. Coming off his 'Summertime 06' album only a few months ago, Staples went back to the EP format with the same number of tracks as his 'Hell Can Wait' EP and before even getting into the crux of this EP's brilliance, there's stuff to admire.

In the age of immediacy and the ever-changing music business, Staples now has two EP's that are easily digest-able with only seven songs but have enough layers in them to give them similar depth to an album. Album's have enjoyed a bit of a resurgent in the past few years as artists hark back to the good ol' days when albums had depth, themes and little tangents that all wound back together, but building an album takes time and unless you are an artist like Frank Ocean, you've got to stay visible. Staples knows this and instead of throwing out music that tarnishes his hard work, or simply isn't up to his high standard, Staples delivers a concise EP that is zoned in on a specific theme and story.

Songs

1. Let It Shine: Strangely poetic intro, or is it an outro?
2. War Ready: So many twists and turns, impossible not to feel hyped.
3. Smile: Cheeky guitar and Vince coming to grips with shit.
4. Loco ft. Kilo Kush: Pushing boundaries sonically, which can make you crazy.
5. Prima Donna ft. A$AP Rocky: 'I don't need no accolades, I'm here to act a fool'.
6. Pimp Hand: Modern crippin'.
7. Big Time: Pretty grimey, versatile flows.

Vibe

A key factor in deciphering the vibe is that when listening to 'Prima Donna' through the tracks, you are taken through a journey of what must be considered Vince acquainting himself with his success. Listening to each track in order, takes you from the rather depressing 'Let It Shine' that resembles a suicidal moment and you then finish on 'Big Time' which has Vince rolling out a more celebratory vibe. 

However, listening to the tracks in the opposite order takes the listener on a journey that seems more logical and more relevant to that of Vince Staples. 'Big Time' starts it off in that celebratory vibe with Staples livin' it up via the streets and then we're then taken through the tale of many musicians as they adjust to life as a entertainer. 

What I love though is that 'Prime Donna' encounters multiple layers when listening to it in that context, yet every song is easy to listen to on its own. Staples brings together songs that stand alone as pieces of borderline musical genius like 'War Ready' that address issues relevant to the world today, under the umbrella of the overall theme. 

Music

The music that Staples raps all over is also another reason to celebrate the man himself. While other rappers follow the trends or use what Staples labelled 'nigga drums', on this EP Staples continues his development in harnessing elements of rock with guitar riffs on rotation ('Smile'), or capturing a sound that resembles Prodigy's crazy tunes and even bringing in England's grime style for 'Big Time'. 

Staples has been doing this for much of his career, 'Prima Donna' takes this all to new levels and the joy in listening to it is that you're constantly in awe of how Staples has initially settled on that sound. Then, you've got to remember that Staples is flexing as he navigates all the twists and turns that such a broad sound offers, Staples is constant switching his flow, tempo and cadence to match the excessively funky production.

That production comes mainly from DJ Dahi, who is credited on three songs and has collaborated with Staples in past. No I.D. has his mandatory input as Staples' mentor, producing 'Pimp Hand' and then we've got the interesting collabo between Staples and James Blake on 'War Ready' and 'Big Time'. 

Finale

Vince Staples exists in music's upper echelon, that's for certain. 'Prima Donna' sees Staples execute a creative vision with precision, telling a broader story while providing single entities that enable the listener to appreciate Staples' musical mind in a single song.

You can always tell the quality of a musician by how different their work is to the next joker. Staples exists in his own lane where he's far from merely being a rapper and in 'Prima Donna' we see Staples move further in the opposite direction to the rest of the pack, similar to how a handful of other artists in the hip hop sphere are moving in their own direction.