Vince Staples Shares Easygoing New Track “Are You With That?”

Vince Staples has released a new track “Are You With That?” from his self-titled album. The song is produced by long-time collaborator Kenny Beats, along with Reske. This is the 2nd single from his new album, following the release of the laid-back track, “Law of Averages.” 

“Are You With That?” starts with a pitched down synth melody that sounds like it’s underwater, a fat snare with a trap drum rhythm and a relatively subtle bass in the background. Staples rides the beat with a calm flow and a simple melody that follows his rhymes, while talking about the gang life he experienced growing up in North Long Beach, California. He raps lines like, “Remember growin’ up/All I wanted was to be a thug,” and “Had to fight for my life/Took them hits in stride.” So although the track may sound chill and easygoing, Staples’ subject matter paints a different picture. 

“Are You With That?” takes the opening spot on Vince Staples’ self-titled album. The following songs carry the same tone and attitude that this track conveys, mostly utilizing vocal samples, minimal trap drums and pitch shifting elements. Vince Staples is fully produced by Kenny Beats and includes collaborators like Monte Booker and Fousheé. 

In April, Staples revealed to GQ that he was working on two new albums; Vince Staples and Ramona Park Broke My Heart. The 2nd of the two is yet to be given an official release date. He also reportedly has Netflix show coming out soon. Recently, Staples collaborated with Mumbai-artist Divine and Pusha T on the track “Jungle Mantra” for the Bollywood film “The White Tiger.” Vince Staples’ last full length album, FM!, came out in 2018. It’s filled with West Coast summer bangers like “FUN!” and “Feels Like Summer.”

Photo credit: Stephen Hoffmeister

Aswath Viswanathan: Currently a student at Carleton College graduating in 2023 from the Chicago area. I love playing tennis, making music, listening to music, and reading. Some of my favorite artists are Smino, King Krule, and Isaiah Rashad but I'm always looking for new music and I'm open to pretty much anything.
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