Album Review: Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

Big Fish Theory is a difficult release to digest, even for an artist as elusive as Vince Staples.

True, 2015's Summertime '06 was just as dissonant and unsettling. But as anyone who's listened to it knows, this made sense in the context of the lyrics. Big Fish Theory switches out menacing rap for creepy club music in a move no one saw coming, but it's unclear just what the message is. The interludes add nothing, the love songs (with sung lyrics) are a puzzling turn and the fish/water motif is barely picked up in the songs that reference it. Weird shit, though: almost gives Kanye a run for his money in mixing rap with club music.