Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Aug 29, 2016In the world of Prima Donna, black death is radical. Author Paul Beatty came to the same conclusion in his satirical novel The White Boy Shuffle, but Vince does it in 20 gripping minutes. Never has so much been done with one little light.
-
Sep 1, 2016Prima Donna may not stand up to the unfettered brilliance of Summertime ‘06, but it was never supposed to. Instead, it tells us just a bit about Staples’ scope as an artist.
-
Aug 29, 2016Given its lyrical and musical density, the EP’s short runtime feels particularly abrupt. Nevertheless, it’s an accomplished collection from one of rap’s most promising young talents.
-
Dec 12, 2016Prima Donna is an essential snapshot of 2016 that bears witness to the evolution of an artist coming into his own with an unflinching, socially conscious perspective.
-
The WireNov 8, 2016The production, courtesy of DJ Dahi, No ID and James Blake, spirals outward from the world this Long Beach native’s peers inhabit and into satisfyingly experimental territory. [Oct 2016, p.65]
-
Sep 21, 2016Prima Donna bristles with paranoia, anxiety, depression and anger about racism, violence, the music industry and his own psychological state. Loco distills all that. Staples's vicious, suicidal fever dream sees him alluding to Van Gogh's mental illness and dropping references to The Great Gatsby and James Joyce.
-
Sep 6, 2016Prima Donna's standout title track encapsulates Staples's appeal as a lyricist—and the appeal of the EP as a whole.
-
Sep 1, 2016Hopelessness has always been a throughline in Staples work but Prima Donna puts a finer point on that feeling, both in its songs and interstitial spoken word bits.
-
Sep 1, 2016Staples approaches the latest chapters of his story on Prima Donna in bleak fashion, his pen and delivery both as sharp as ever.
-
Aug 29, 2016Even though it’s a brisk seven songs, it lingers as the best pieces of writing tend to do.
-
Aug 29, 2016Prima Donna doesn’t have one single track that carries the project and this is obviously done on purpose. It’s an effort better experienced as a whole rather than its parts.
-
Aug 29, 2016Prima Donna is his most challenging work to date.
-
Sep 1, 2016The music is as bleep-y as it is banging (James Blake produces on two tracks) and touchstones include Andre 3000, James Joyce, Leonardo DiVinci and Jay Gatsby.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 97 out of 106
-
Mixed: 5 out of 106
-
Negative: 4 out of 106
-
Aug 30, 2016
-
Aug 30, 2016
-
Aug 30, 2016