A couple of weeks ago, rap prodigy Vince Staples released the music video for “Magic,” the first single from his forthcoming album Ramona Park Broke My Heart, which he first began teasing even before unveiling last year’s critically-acclaimed Vince Staples. Today, he’s back with a new single, “Rose Street,” and another music video.
The first 45 seconds of the song is a sample, leaving only a little over a minute for Staples to break into a flow. Against a trap beat and booming bass, he spews quips about his devotion to his friends over his romantic relationships: “I’m married to the gang, don’t be playing games / Only bringing flowers to the homie’s grave.” It ends abruptly.
The video is much less chaotic than the one for “Magic”; instead of getting jumped at a house party, he’s sitting solemnly on graffiti-adorned rocks at a beach looking at the crashing waves introspectively.
Before releasing the song at midnight, Staples took to Twitter to generate some hype: “Will Smith inspired me man let me drop this video,” he wrote, referring, of course, to Smith smacking Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars.
Will Smith inspired me man let me drop this video.
— RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART
(@vincestaples) March 28, 2022
Watch the video for “Rose Street” above.