Long Beach has a rich but underrated and underappreciated history for great hip-hop, at least compared to its neighbors to the immediate north. Now that that’s out of the way, one of the great voices to emerge from this cradle of creativity in the past decade is Vince Staples. The rapper will be releasing his self-titled studio album on July 9 on Blacksmith Records/Motown Records. Staples’ previous album, FM!, was released in 2018.
From it, Staples has released its first single, “Law of Averages,” which he teased on his social media platforms earlier this week. You can now see the video for Staples’ new song, which was filmed in Long Beach, below.
Of the album, which was produced by Kenny Beats, Staples said “it really gives much more information about me that wasn’t out there before. That’s why I went with that title. I feel like I’ve been trying to tell the same story. As you go on in life, your point of view changes. This is another take on myself that I might not have had before.”
Cryptically, Staples seems to have more on tap in 2021.
“I’m a mind more than I am an entertainer to a lot of people,” Staples continued. “I appreciate that my fanbase is willing to go on this ride with me. I’m ready to diversify what we’re doing and see how we affect the world.”
