Vince Staples released his new album, FM!, on Thursday night. The record, his first full-length release since 2017's aquatic epic, Big Fish Theory, clocks in at just over 22 minutes across 11 tracks (including interludes) and signals a return to Staples' trimmer projects, such as Prima Donna and Hell Can Wait. Stream the album below.
With credits on nine of the 11 tracks, Kenny Beatz handles most of the album's production. The Connecticut-born producer initially rose to prominence as half of the EDM duo Loudpvck, a project with Ryan Marks. Following their split in late 2017, he's gained traction through his hip-hop production, most notably animating Key!'s career-pivoting 777 and fueling the saucy aggression of Rico Nasty's Nasty.
FM! also marks the return of Earl Sweatshirt, who seldomly features on new music. The Los Angeles rapper appears on the aptly titled and all too brief fifth track, "New earlsweatshirt (Interlude)." Other uncredited album features include Jay Rock, Ty Dolla $ign, Kehlani and Tyga.
FM! isn't the first we've heard from Staples this year. The Long Beach rapper launched a sardonic GoFundMe campaign in March attempting to raise $2 million to fund his early retirement. It was followed by the single "Get The F*** Off My D***," a decisive warding off of outside voices (including NPR). Staples eventually shut down the fundraiser, refunding donors and matching their contributions with a gift to Long Beach's Michelle Obama Library. "GTFOMD" does not appear on the FM! tracklist.
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