Vince Staples is on the rise, both figuratively and now, literally.
Today, he released a music video for his song “Lift Me Up,” a cut from his stellar 2015 album Summertime ‘06. It begins with some beautiful shots of Long Beach, Staples’ hometown, focused on its grungy industrial nature and seagulls soaring above it. Once we get into the main body of the song, Staples begins to defy gravity just like the birds as he raps about the struggles he faced growing up.
The most curious imagery comes from the screenshot we’ve taken above; Staples is clearly escaping the bad situation of his youth, but he doesn’t look any more enlivened by it, as if the scars of his youth have destroyed his ability to truly fly. It brings to mind an image from the sixth Harry Potter film of a cursed Katie Bell.
Hopefully Staples hasn’t touched any opal necklaces.