This November, Vince Staples released his third studio album, titled “FM!”. This album is one of my most favorite projects I have heard over the last year. It starts with the song “Feels Like Summer” where Staples introduces the sound of the album thanks to a feature of Big Boy and the cast of Big Boy’s Neighborhood.

The album continues the summertime vibe with the song “Outside!”. When I first heard it, I felt it as a song that would hype up the crowd at a concert. At the end of the song, it sounds like the disk slows down to a halt, and transitions to the beat of the next song, “Don’t Get Chipped”. This is one of my favorite songs on the album because of how fast paced he comes rapping out of the gate.

At the end of the next song, “Relay” the disk slow down effect happens again and one of the cast from Big Boy’s Neighborhood comes in with a promotion for winning tickets to a Kehlani Concert. The beat carries to the next track titled, “New earlsweatshirt (Interlude)” but quickly is cut off by a clip saying, “New Earl Sweatshirt on Big Boy’s Neighborhood”. Although the song is 22 seconds, and Earl’s verse is only 19, the interlude adds a connector between “Relay” and the next song, “Run the Bands”.

At three minutes eight seconds, it is the longest song on the album. At the end of the song, Big Boy comes on continuing the radio theme of the album, and leads to the next song, “FUN!”. With a very upbeat tempo, “FUN!” talks about the view of most young people today, in the chorus. The song also features a Bay Area legend, E-40.

In the next song, “No Bleedin”, Staples has another feature from the Bay Area, in Kamaiyah. That song is followed by “Brand New Tyga – Interlude” and “(562) 453-9382 – Skit”, with the former being a short verse by Tyga, and the latter being a skit in the form of a contest call to Big Boy’s Neighborhood. The album ends with the song “Tweakin’” where Vince Staples has yet another Bay Area feature, with Kehlani on the chorus.

This album is one of my favorites because you can tell it is made to be listened to all in a row. Although there are a few standouts for catchy songs that can be added to the queue at a party, they are much more fluid as a whole project. I also like how he carried the Big Boy’s Neighborhood sketches throughout the entire album. In a recent interview, Vince hinted at possibly eight more projects from him in the year of 2019 alone. For me, as long as he keeps innovating and being creative, there is no telling how insane some of these projects may be.