“mom met dad and they had me in the ghetto, handed me a .38 and told me I was special”

Long Beach’s pride and joy Vince Staples just released his 5th studio album in the past ~7 years and it may be some of his best work to date.

ROMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART is a fresh mix of old and new Vince, following his love/hate relationship with his home town and upbringing. The 16 track project features the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Baby, and production from DJ Mustard, with the majority of the album solo.

I’ve been a HUGE fan of the entire piece of work and am close to binge status. I go back and forth every day, but I think I’ve landed on my top 3 favorite tracks. See below to read more.

ROSE STREET: My personal favorite on the album. I’m going to make a writer’s reach and say this song is the most holistic look into the project – it plays on the direct theme of Vince’s less than ideal upbrining in Ramona Park and has such a homely, comfortable beat. Every lyric is perfectly placed… especially the chorus.

“She say she in love, what’s that?
Trust, what’s that?
Us, what’s that?”

These are concepts he hasn’t been accustomed to and Ramona Park is his main culprit. So simple, yet powerful.

PAPERCUTS: I’ve yet to find the sample used in this one, but it MAKES the song. I love a good running beat and obviously Vince does too. “PAPERCUTS” is one of the tracks we all expected so I’m grateful we got some peak Staples on the project. He’s still Long Beach, he still loves his money, and his flow is still impeccable.

MAMA’S BOY: This one grew on me as I listened to the lyrics with more intention. Sampled from a chopped and screwed version of Outkast’s “Ms Jackson”, Vince pays tribute to his Mama in the best fashion. He even sneaks a phone call snippet in from back in the day basically saying “if I didn’t show you love, you wouldn’t be Vince Staples”. It’s pretty cool and it definitely cuts deep.

Definitely check out RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART and let me know your favorite track. As always, enjoy! Norf.