No I.D. & Vince Staples Bring Together Generations of Musical Potential

California native Vince Staples and Chicago’s own No I.D. are two names popular in their own right when it comes to music. As Vince Staples prepped his debut album Summertime ‘06 for its June 30 release a few months back, respected hip-hop veteran No I.D. had no problem lending a helping hand to the talented 22 year old rapper. With No I.D. being a prominent figure in the music industry for over 20 years, the tandem of him and Staples was sure to create some buzz. In a recent sit down with HYPETRAK Magazine both were able to discuss topics such as advice exchanged between the two, their musical processes and growth as artists. Peep some of the discussion below and read the full story on HYPETRAK.

With this being your debut album, the themes you revisit must be very personal and important to you.

V: I feel like it’s an important album because it’s a story of what goes on in these communities. When you look at the way that urban situations are perceived, they’re not really understood. The most successful music is usually the most violent music; likewise with movies. When tragedy falls upon a person in real life, and they lack the ability to rise above it, then people say “they made a mistake,” “they’re stupid” or “they threw their life away.” Those outside of the situation don’t really know where it comes from. To them, there’s only one type of person in these environments. To them, there’s only one way to be, dress, talk and act, and everyone is a criminal and a problem. They don’t understand the truth behind what those people have to deal with. There’s a whole world out there that nobody cares about, literally. I know that because I come from it. Nobody’s ever once asked us “what’s going on” and “how’s your day.” No one’s ever asked us that at all. There are 300 cities in the U.S. and Long Beach is in the top 100 as far as being dangerous goes. It’s a beautiful place but I feel like the scenery hasn’t been painted well. It’s just all a depiction of “we do this over here because we’re crazy.” That’s not real, that’s sad for the people who have to keep going through all this because these cycles don’t stop until understanding comes about. I’m trying to bring understanding.

These themes are very real but unfortunately, not everyone will be able to see or understand this reality. In order to connect with your audience or bring in new listeners, how do you make sure such heavy themes are accessible? Are there particular traits you look for in choosing your singles?

V: There’s no such thing as a single release or a release date. Nobody cares about any of that stuff. Everything’s on the Internet; the best song will be the best song. The songs that impact the most are going to be the songs that impact the most. It’s really all in the hands of the people now, so I don’t choose – I let that take its course. We think about things that stand the test of time – the Michael Jackson and Tupac albums, not singles. If you put out a single and nobody likes it, then nobody likes it, period. There’s no way around it. I’ve never tried to put out a single and said, “This is the one,” because you can’t pick that, that’s not how it happens. What’s a hit? Was an Adele song a hit before Adele came out? No. Was a Drake song a hit before Drake came out? No. Was a YG song a hit before YG came out? No. There’s no such thing as a hit. If that was the case, we’d only be hearing the same songs. It’s something that connects with people, and I can’t really pick what connects with people. I just make songs that I have to make. I should feel like every song should potentially be huge. No one really ever knows what’s going to be big, they just choose songs that are reminiscent of something they once felt. It has to happen to the right person at the right time and situation for it to become a hit, so I don’t really try to focus on singles. I just aim to make the best body of work – no one is talking about the best single from 10 years ago.

N: I agree, I mean, a hit is just something that worked. Once it works, then everybody calls that a hit and try to make something that sounds like that. It’s like research; it’s not a hit when it didn’t hit. Adele wasn’t the biggest artist in people’s eyes before it worked. Now we have 50 more who try to be that. For me, it’s a connection with the most amount of human beings who are interested. That sometimes can’t be researched because it’s a new thing, and if that’s the case, then it’ll just go in a circle – which happens – but every now and then somebody has to break the cycle in order to make a new direction.

V: It’s the Internet age, there’s no way to not connect with them because they’re going to bother you all day – whether it’s Instagram posts, tweeting or just being around. You have to embrace people because we’re all people at the end of the day, nobody’s better than anyone else – being on eye-level with them is a very important thing, at least for me.

You and Vince definitely fall into the theme of generations, being talented artists of your respective eras. How do you make the most of this collaboration, and why is this generational teamwork beneficial for both of you?

N: I’m 20 something years away from doing my first record. First of all, being able to still do music at this level is not just a blessing but a challenge. It’s a cheat code. My passion right now is to be able to go to a person like him, tap into where he is, but give him the cheat codes so he won’t have to make five to 10 years of mistakes just because technology eliminated the need to work with people who know things. So many people can just pick up their laptop and make a record and put it on the Internet. It’s already around the world before they even got a chance to think about what they’re doing. To me, this is a whole other reality, and with me stepping into a new reality with a new person that’s going to represent his next 20 years, we must be able to take the bits and pieces of information from each other and multiply it.

What’s the most valuable piece of advice that you’ve told Vince then?

N: As an artist, you have a lifespan in people’s ears. If you start off on top, then where are you going? I’d just start off as a kid. The first mixtape we put together has no famous producers. People walk into the game with Bugattis and Ferraris. Okay, so where are they going? I don’t know, because they’re already there, they became big. They have bricks, millions, all the women, and all the cars. Alright, cool man. Now what? What do you have next? Jets? It’s not even about being humble, because I want Vince to have edge – people should have edge. It’s more about discovering your ownership. If you’re the man before you discover it, who can champion that? It’s about letting people champion you to be the man instead of proclaiming that you’re the man. It’s like “cool, I don’t have to vote for you, you’re already the man.” Compare that to “he’s like me, look at him grow; I’m rooting for him.” I think I help him retrieve the confidence needed to let him be himself and not to overdo it, that’s my focus. I tell him to not worry about who produces his records, and not to worry about what he does. I tell him to just let the people catch up, and pretty soon he’s going to have a group of people that loves him. Not who did your record, who you’re standing next to, or how much money you’ve got. Just you!

V: I understood my place. I understand that I might not ever be the biggest, most successful artist. That I might not be able to sell a million, a thousand, or even 50 records ever in my life, but that’s not my job. My job is to shed light on the realistic aspects of where I came from, because at the end of the day, that’s what matters, nothing else. When you’re dead and gone, nobody is going to talk about how many records you sold. They’ll talk about what you’ve done to change things, and if you’ve never changed anything you’ll never matter.