Big Fish Theory is the second studio album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on June 23, 2017, by Def Jam Recordings, ARTium Recordings and Blacksmith Records. The album was supported by three singles: "BagBak", "Big Fish" and "Rain Come Down". Musically leaning toward electronic club music genres such as house and Detroit techno, the record features production work from Zack Sekoff, Sophie, Ray Brady, Jimmy Edgar, GTA, Justin Vernon and Flume, among others, as well as vocal contributions from a variety of artists including Kilo Kish, Kendrick Lamar, Juicy J, Ty Dolla Sign, Damon Albarn, Ray J and ASAP Rocky.
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Background and promotion
On January 3, 2017, Staples announced that he would release a song called "BagBak" on February 3, 2017. On May 18, in an interview on Zane Lowe's show Beats 1, he announced the title of his upcoming album and released an accompanying single, "Big Fish". He also announced that Big Fish Theory would be released on June 23, 2017. On June 8, he released his third single, "Rain Come Down", as well as an accompanying music video. On June 11, he released the album's artwork and an Instagram photo of the 12-song track list.
Fish Theory Video
Composition
Big Fish Theory is a hip hop album, with several publications noting that the album leans toward electronic club music genres such as house and Detroit techno. Rolling Stone characterized the album as an "avant-garde dance record that takes stock of his current loves, victories, politics and - most noticeably - interest in the cutting edge of electronic music." Similarly, Out stated that the album "fuses avant-garde electronica with aggressive hip-hop." NME said Staples' "bleak lyrical brilliance is perfectly matched by Big Fish Theory's experimental production. He's always had a taste for harsh electronic funk, and he embraces that creative urge more eagerly than ever. There's slo-mo techno, dystopian G-funk, field recordings, growling industrialism; abstract, icy grooves more indebted to Berlin than Atlanta." AllMusic described the record as "a skittish thought piece wrapped around the nucleus of the Chicago footwork sound.
Spin said "Big Fish Theory's whiplash sonic shifts and industrial makeup will make comparisons with Kanye West's Yeezus easy. However, it may have more in common with The Life of Pablo, which combined elements of Yeezus' avant-garde structure with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's tortured look at fame." HipHopDX said the album is "one of the more avant-garde projects backed by Def Jam."
![Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory [3000x3000] : freshalbumart](https://i0.wp.com/imgstore.ga/wp-contents/uploads/2010/8/.jpg "Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory [3000x3000] : freshalbumart")
Critical reception
Big Fish Theory received widespread acclaim from critics upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 89, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". AllMusic critic Neil Z. Yeung thought that "Big Fish Theory cements Staples' status as one of the most talented and forward-thinking voices in rap in the late 2010s." The A.V. Club's Clayton Purdom stated: "On Big Fish Theory, an album about the guilt that comes with transcending one's home, Staples finds a better language still." Liam Egan of Clash described the album as "a record that not only sees Vince taking risks and progressing forward as an artist, but also another astounding example of what hip-hop should and can be in 2017." Eric Renner Brown of Entertainment Weekly thought that Big Fish Theory "surpasses expectations, with incisive lyrics and beats that spurn current trends for a set that sounds unlike anything else in hip-hop right now." The Guardian's Kate Hutchinson stated that the record "makes for a challenging, dystopian listen, the blade runner to everyone else's replicant."
Joe Madden of NME stated that Staples' lyrics are "emotionally calibrated for 2017: antsy, alienated and occasionally overcome with nihilistic despair at the state of the world. And his bleak lyrical brilliance is perfectly matched by Big Fish Theory's experimental production." Pitchfork gave it the title of "Best New Music" with writer Sheldon Pearce stating that "Big Fish Theory feels like a natural progression" and further added: "Amid the gleaming productions, he's still exploring darkness." Rolling Stone's Christopher R. Weingarten stated: "sure, it's less focused than the reportage of 2015's Summertime '06, but the varying emotions and outlooks mark a full step forward into becoming a multi-layered, genre-crossing, emotion-spilling pop auteur in the vein of West, Drake or Childish Gambino." The Line of Best Fit's Erik Thompson wrote that "on this record it is clear that Staples is making his own assertive artistic statement for these turbulent times, while also firmly establishing himself as one of the brash, singular voices that is going to be leading the music world into the chaotic, unpredictable future." Sputnikmusic praised the album, calling it the best hip hop album of 2017.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's official liner notes.
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
- ^[b] signifies an additional producer
- "Crabs in a Bucket", "Ramona Park is Yankee Stadium" and "Homage" feature additional vocals by Kilo Kish
- "Big Fish" features additional vocals by Juicy J
- "Love Can Be..." features additional vocals by Kilo Kish, Damon Albarn and Ray J
- "Yeah Right" features additional vocals by Kendrick Lamar and Ku?ka
- "SAMO" features additional vocals by A$AP Rocky and Kilo Kish
- "BagBak" features additional vocals by Ken Rogers
- "Rain Come Down" features additional vocals by Ty Dolla $ign
Sample credits
- "Alyssa Interlude" contains samples of "I Wish It Would Rain", written by Rodger Penzabene, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and performed by The Temptations, and excerpts from Tim Chipping's interview with Amy Winehouse
- "Love Can Be..." contains an interpolation from "Hood Nigga (Remix)", written by Alonzo Mathis, Dana Ramey and Christopher Hussery. and performed by Gorilla Zoe
- "Homage" contains an interpolation of "Hold Me Back", written by Joshua Murphy, Julius Preston and William Roberts, and performed by Rick Ross; and an interpolation of "New Level", written by Darold Ferguson, Nayvadius Wilburn, and Carlton Mays, Jr., and performed by ASAP Ferg and Future
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's official liner notes.
Music
Production
Managerial
Charts
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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