Vince Staples Returns with “BagBak”

The run that Vince Staples has been on is absurd. 2014 saw the Long Beach MC drop the bitingly topical, deeply conflicted Hell Can Wait EP. In 2015, it was the expansive great leap forward Summertime ‘06. In 2016 he issued Prima Donna, a coldly nihilistic EP that topped our best 2016 EPs list and showed how corrosive fame can be on the mind, body and soul.

Now, with the just released “BagBak,” he’s just running up the score. That sort of three-year stretch almost dictates that you don’t have to do anything for a bit. Staples could just go on tour with what he has and that’d be more than enough. Not only did he clock some overtime with the new single, he crafted the type of track we’ve never heard from him before. Hell, good chunks of hip-hop don’t approximate the gangsta dubstep that Staples goes for on “BagBak.” Vic Mensa’s “Down on My Luck” comes to mind, but that dance rap is a far-cry from the scorched earth of “BagBak.”

Here, Vince Staples is throwing double middle fingers to the police, to the presidency and to one-percenters. The beat itself is just a few steps behind “B.O.B.” as Staples balances chakras and tells strangers to back up. Like a lot of Staples’ best work, it’s coldly distant but totally engrossing. It bangs and it grooves. It’s entirely unnecessary to be out now, but totally appreciated.

You can hear the song below and check out dates for Staples’ Life Aquatic Tour with Kilo Kish beneath that.

Vince Staples Life Aquatic Tour Dates:

February
24 – San Diego, Calif. @ North Park Observatory
25 – Oakland, Calif. @ Fox Theatre
27 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox SoDo
28 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theatre

March
01 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater
03 – Englewood, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre
05 – Lawrence, Kan. @ Granada Theater
07 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Cannery Ballroom
08 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Center Stage
16 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
17 – Milwaukee, Wis @ Rave II
19 – Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
20 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Deluxe at Old National Centre
22 – Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall
23 – Detroit, Mich. @ Majestic Theatre
24 – Toronto, Ontario @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
25 – Montreal, Quebec @ Corona
27 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer
28 – Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club
30 – New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
31 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club

April
03 – Norfolk, Va. @ Norva
04 – Birmingham, Ala. @ The Saturn
06 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
07 – Dallas, Texas @ Southside Music Hall
09 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Phoenix Lights Festival