This is our track of the day. Be sure to subscribe to The Best Songs of 2018 (So Far)for regular updates.What It IsAlongside Kendrick Lamar, Long Beach emcee Vince Staples is one of the most celebrated rappers of the past decade. But unlike Kendrick, who takes himself dead serious and occasionally smoothers his audience with sincerity, Staples is happy to play the part of the poker-faced jester. He recently started a GoFundMe campaign to support his retirement (he asked for 2 million to effectively disappear), and this single either supports that campaign or is the lead-off single to as yet-unannounced new album (or, alternately, it’s a combination of both, or just some loosey he had laying around).What It Sounds LikeIt’s really vibey, which is a bit surprising considering the track is calle “Get the Fuck Off My Dick.” The song pushes the idea from the promotional video that Staples is stepping down, at one point rapping, “Homie you can keep your money, it dont do nothing for me.” You should never take rappers that serious when they say they’re going to retire -- it’s an aspirational theme -- but Staples does seem sincere -- he describes walking through NYC’s MoMa museum (a pretty ideal retired person activity), relays some basic retiree financial planning (he’s going to spend the check from his Coke endorsement; save his Nike one), and takes some parting shots at the media (“NPR and XXL, man, I cant tell which is which”). The song is wrapped in an airy production, that has dusky like swirls of electronics over a slow, sludgy beat. Suggested Playlist PlacementBingo Night With B-Boys?
