Album Review: Vince Staples' "Prima Donna" EP

Prima Donna: 

Exploring Mid-2010’s Pop Culture Critiques through The Fatalistic Lens of a Premier Poet 

Original Ghost Wonder collage featuring Staples (center) as seen on the “Prima Donna” EP cover

Trouble in the LBC

In his 2nd EP, Long Beach native rapper Vince Staples released a nihilistic, adroit, and enigmatic project to paint the path of aggrandized fame and fortune. From interviews to music, Vince’s unique critiques of popular culture highlight his most powerful asset— his perspective. His 7-song EP “Prima Donna,” masterfully illustrates his hometown using snapshots of his mind and embodying the vantage points of others in his environment.

“I don’t need no accolades, Boy I’m here to act a fool.”

“Ask about me, had the shotty, robbin' nigg*s at the school.”

“Lookin' at my vida, all this money, all these visas.”

“All these mothafuckin' mini mes I know they wanna be him.”

The Trojan Horse

Prima Donna appears to glorify the lavish, hedonistic lifestyle expected of rappers, which contradicts the true subject matter of the album. Despite having an empathetic expertise of South California gang culture, Vince’s artistic persona oscillates between bystander and player in a game where the odds are out of your favor. His iconic POV alludes to distinct wisdom, further mystifying his young voice; he’s only 23 upon the EP’s release.

The album’s story blends reality of life with the concept of image in the Age of the Internet, Information, and Individualism.

Born Ready.

War Ready.

Born Ready. War Ready.

Top 3

Loco is the cartoonized climax of Prima Donna. The artistic voice sounds like Vince, but as an extreme version of his life, wants, and desires. The track is capped off by a poem to encapsulate Vince’s darkest, innermost thoughts.

On the other hand, Prima Donna is the true climax of Prima Donna’s story. As a narrative flair, Vince crescendos his voice throughout verses to express increased emotion when detailing the trials of fame. A$AP Rocky delivered the pristine feature, and cleared the way for a diamond-level lyrical performance by Mr. Staples.

James Blake

Singer, Songwriter & Producer.

Vince and James Blake are an incredible tandem who never fail to create an eccentric, emotional, and electrifying track. Despite seemingly superficial lyrics and the grimy instrumental, Big Time illustrates the moment & the setting before deciding on the profession of rapping.

Original Ghost Wonder collage featuring Staples, as seen in more album art for “Prima Donna.”

No Skips

Vince Staples spectacular & peculiar beat selection mirrors the youthful, wise, outlandishness of his lyrical delivery and subject matter. His ability to choose instrumentals & features like canvases and brush strokes have propelled Vince to create some of the most distinguished, complete albums of hip-hop artists since his Mac Miller produced album, Stolen Youth.

Album Review: GZA's "Liquid Swords"

GZA “Liquid Swords”

Released November 7th, 1995

An Investigative Report of The Razor Sharp Lyrical Swordsman

Ghost Wonder original collage featuring “Liquid Swords” album art elements.

4th Chamber

As the fourth official Wu-Tang Clan solo album, Gary Grice, a.k.a. “GZA” or “The Genius,” established the crew’s storytelling & thematic prowess. Liquid Swords (LS) epitomizes the precise lyricism of the “Golden Era of Hip-Hop." The Wu-Tang canon compares the tongue to a sword as a slick motif; this album sets the stage of the supergroup via vicious, cutting prose and kung-fu clips.

Swordsmen

The album’s title is inspired by GZA’s favorite kung-fu movie, “Legend of the Liquid Sword” (dir. Wong Jing, 1993), a comedy, but takes conceptual notes from the 1980 movie, “Shogun Assassin” (dir. Robert Houston, Kenji Misumi). LS tactfully connects the music industry, samurais with swords so sharp they slide like water, and 1990s NYC street culture via the lens of Wu-Tang Clan’s Genius. 

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Left: Poster for “Legend of the Liquid Sword” (dir. Wong Jing, 1993). Right: Poster for “Shogun Assassin” (dir. Robert Houston, Kenji Misumi, 1980). 

Duel of The Iron Mic:

Around the release of LS, Pharcyde revealed Labincalifornia, Busta Rhymes dropped The Coming, The Fugees uncovered The Score, and 2Pac unveiled All Eyes on Me. With each artist, their albums and album titles fit into the artist’s unique auras. Many contemporary hip-hop projects are conceptually weaker, and only premier MCs nowadays have such pristine brands.

“Vintage audio

clips from kung-fu classics weave

through the album, creating an

auditory, cinematic collage.”

Left: Ghost Wonder original collage featuring “Liquid Swords” album art elements.

Living In The World Today:

Timelessness determines greatness in Pop Music. Contemporary Hip-Hop listeners often expect this Pop metric of “timelessness,” despite the fundamental differences between the genres. As a second-generation Hip-Hop fan, I understand the old man, fist-shaking critique that the music is not the same. Hip-Hip has become a global, cultural force where people around the world add their spin on the genre. A byproduct of this cultural expansion is the neglect of the genre’s roots in specific places and times past.

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Ghost Wonder original collages featuring “Liquid Swords” album art elements.

GOLD

LS doesn’t sound “timeless” but the quality of Liquid Swords is timeless. 90’s hip-hop is tough to develop an ear for without a creative entry point. Many people struggle to develop an ear for the lyrical imagery, unique flows, and distinct vocal textures that are embodied in “The Golden Era.”

RZA delivers some of the grimiest instrumentals of his discography, gracefully complemented by the grit of GZA’s vocal performances.

Special Technique

Liquid Swords stands alone in cinematic mastery and is the strongest conceptual Wu-Tang project sans “Enter the 36th Chamber.” Younger listeners must understand Hip-Hop history to appreciate LS and doing so will help them see why “Enter the 36 Chambers” is one of the greatest Hip-hop albums of all time. Without this genius contribution, we would not have modern storytelling masterpieces such as Yeezus, Good Kid Maad City, and Cozy Tapes Vol II. 

There Goes The Neighborhood

TLDR: Black History Month may not seem like your business. We’ve seen Hip-Hop culture grow to dominate the world of international art and culture, especially in fashion with the nomination of Pharrell Williams as the Creative Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton, a position previously held by Virgil Abloh. To understand Hip-Hop as the most dominant art movement is to uncover the driver of cultural change and the most powerful marketing tool for Gen Z & beyond. 

Kendrick Lamar has been one of my favorite musicians since his first studio album, Section 80. His uncanny delivery and perspective uncovers the brilliant Black perspective of one of the world’s most prolific poets. Before his 2022 album, “Mr. Morale and The Heavy Steppers,” Kendrick’s previous solo album, “DAMN.” was released in 2017; upon each listen I find more relevant themes to the state of our nation from this Pulitzer winning performance. His stories and perspectives mirror many of my own in the times of their releases. I recommend listening to the song "XXX," if you must choose one. It's NSFW, but reality is metaphorical. Here’s a site of annotations if you would like some help, but don't depend on it. 

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Writing has been my most valuable strength, yet I feared discussing what matters most. Many of my passions are directly connected to Black culture and I often worry about being unrelatable. Writing about Black History Month requires a bit of energy. The world we know is new, yet our history is dense. Following breadcrumbs to the past guarantees pain, pitfalls, and dead-ends, yet a clear view of where we’ve been illuminates our vision for the future. 

Often regarded as the beginning of the BLM movement, Feb 26 marked the 11th anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. Him and I are the same age. I remember my mother urging me not to wear my hood up when walking around the suburban neighborhood I was raised. Unfortunately, Trayvon’s situation is not unique; I found myself in a similar situation, though fortunately I still have my life and the opportunity to incite change. Major news stories are critical for proof, though they do not express the ubiquity; Trayvon could have been me. These topics are heavy, yet so is the reality that “things” may not be better now than they were during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. To counter this, I’ve linked a personal story below. 

For context to the story, my high school disallowed the wearing of hoodies until Fall 2011, because of a belief held by administrators that they were used to denote gang activity.  

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One day in February 2012, I was running late for school and I missed the bus because I had to have my overear Beats By Dre headphones. I had just found this rapper named Kendrick Lamar, so digging into his discography was worth being a little late . After all, my neighbor two houses down had a car and didn’t leave yet so I could ask to ride with her. I peeked out the window to see her car running, but no one was in it. I threw my headphones on, queued A.D.H.D., flipped the hood of my coat over my hair, and walked to my neighbor’s house. 

When I got to the door, I rang the doorbell and stood with my backpack on my back and a gym bag with my high school insignia on my shoulder. I expected someone to come quickly, as the car was running in the driveway. A suspicious amount of time passed; I only knew because the album was almost over. I peeked up the street, dreading the freezing 3.5 mile walk I was about to embark to get to school. To my surprise, there was a Crown Victoria police car riding down the street slowly. I sensed the element of danger and removed my hood to open my peripheral vision. 

My first thought was that I hoped everything was ok in the house. I stepped off of the stoop thinking that I was getting out of the officer’s way, but quickly realized I was the danger. He got out of the car, hand on holster, bombarding me with questions and orders. Headphones made hearing difficult, and pulling out my phone to turn it off could’ve been my last move, so I had to focus and announce where I lived and why I was there.  Suddenly, my neighbor’s mom rushed out of the house screaming that there has been a misunderstanding and that I live two houses down, confirming my story. 

Much of the situation is a blur after that. Nothing happened, and that’s the scary part. I got in the car with my neighbor and we went to school. The car ride was awkward and the relationship was never the same after. 

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Each year, February comes and goes. Since the start of the BLM movement, we’ve seen protests, scars, and miscommunication.  Many corporations have “attempted” to change, but behind the curtain is business as usual. As time approaches infinity, those who are capable of understanding the different perspectives of our nation’s history will excel. Those who are not will be left in the past. 

Hiding in Plain Sight

Each person’s relationship with the enigmatic Kanye West is different; some hate him, some love him, but everyone feels some way. Today we explore, Kanye’s relationship with masks and the plight of great artists.

In an interview at the London Wireless Festival in 2014, Kanye states, “They let me make those shoes and we liked ’em, right? And they say, “No, no, no n*gga, not no more. That’s too much… stay in your place. Sit in front of that show and wear this jacket I made you. Stay in your place! Do what you get paid to do! Stay in your place! Don’t embarrass yourself trying to chase your dreams. Save face. Save face.”
 
Ye continued, saying, “That’s why I got this fucking mask on, because I ain’t worried about saving face. F*ck my face! That sounded wrong. [laughs] Pause. But they finally got a headline. But f*ck whatever my face is supposed to mean and f*ck whatever the name Kanye is supposed to mean, it’s about my dreams! And it’s about anybody’s dreams. It’s about creating. It’s not about the idea about being a fucking celebrity, it’s not about the idea of being a black man trying to do fashion and sh*t.” 

(Ye was boo’d after this rant.)

Kanye West

The London Wireless Festival (2014)

It is no secret that many people believe that Kanye changed. However, when peeling back the layers, we can see that the only thing that changed was his level of influence.

Ye (Guevara’s) work has always been rooted in protest since his first single, a Hip-Hop gospel song. It’s no secret that the 2098 Legacy loves Kanye West and will inevitably side with Ye, perhaps more than we should. Nonetheless, he is a futurist and The Legacy is League of Futurists creating the world we want our future generations to thrive in. We live like ducks, staying afloat and paddling like crazy underneath. At a certain point of excellence, one has very few peers; one must lean on ideas and principles instead of mentors. When one is without peers, what they stand for is all the more important. 

Many people call themselves artists, but artists are only as brilliant as the art that they present. If you do not post, publish, or share your ideas/work, you’re not an artist. The only way you will improve is if you get your back off the wall and open yourself up to critique. Some people are going to say your work sucks. Some will love it. As long as you make your audience feel something, you’ve won.