Rap has often been segmented into a number of subgenres, from “trap” to “conscious.”
Vince Staples, who has been named Consequence of Sound’s 2015 Rookie of the Year, says that the worst term he’s heard placed on emcees is “lyrical.”
“I think that the word ‘lyrical’ is the most offensive thing you can say [about a rapper],” the Long Beach, California rapper says to the publication. “If the song has lyrics, it’s fucking lyrical.”
The “Señorita” rapper says that because he chooses to address social issues or focus on storytelling instead of party music does not make him any better than other rappers.
“2 Chainz and Plies went to college,” he says. “I dropped out of high school. Are they smarter than me because of that? Am I smarter than them because of the way the music sounds? It’s just not fair. We gotta stop that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Staples details how he is inspired by Rock music and explains the difference between appropriation and influence.
“To me, I understand the argument of appropriation — I do feel like it happens — but we’re all people at the end of the day, and we’re all artists,” says. “We all take from one another. If there’s a piano in a blues or a jazz song, are they appropriating Beethoven? Maybe we need to remove certain things from certain conversations, but maybe we don’t, and I just feel like I love the Rolling Stones, and me loving the Rolling Stones [means] I love Muddy Waters, and that’s what my mother listened to. There’s no difference within all of it.”
For additional Vince Staples coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
“I dropped out of high school. Are they smarter than me because of that?”
Is that the same person who was recently hating on the golden era? Straight ignorance, keep it up.
how tf did he hate on it. He never said it was bad. He said it was overrated, which it kinda is depending on the people you discuss hip-hop with. Also he just said he preferred the music he grew up on which is understandable. Y’all pseudo-intellectual hip hop fans gotta stop.
Never heard anybody before Vince Staples say the 90’s were overrated. There isnt even a valid/factual argument to defend such a statement. That statement is ignorant. The only thing he could say to move on from it is that he prefers the music he grew up on. But he also said Bow Wow was his favourite rapper in his formative years. It makes me believe that i cant take him seriously. I don’t care how old you were when something was popping, you have ears that can appreciate music from any time period.
My younger brother is 1 year older than Vince Staples. He was 2 years old when Ready to Die dropped and yet he understands why Biggie was one of the greatest lyrical beasts we’ve ever seen.
He can appreciate music that came out b4 his time, while he was a baby or during his teenage years. But then again, my little bro never thought Bow Wow was ill.
Kinda tired of hearing Vince Staples talk about anything outside the booth.
for real. he’s said two stupid things in a month already. kinda losing respect.
I couldn’t agree more. I respect him as an mc but I can’t agree with him here because he is kinda playing the fool. Yes if a song has lyrics its technically lyrical but when we refer to artists being lyrical in Hip Hop we refer to lyrical potency and lyrical dexterity. He knows 2Chainz and Plies have no food contained within their lyrics.
Dont nobody wanna hear this zeek speak
The social commentary is getting old Vince.
Drop something dope before you end up having to parlay your career into being a Vlad TV regular.