Vince Staples is at it again. In a new profile of Staples published in the California Sunday Magazine, the 22-year-old rapper says he will retire from hip hop before 2018 arrives. “You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I’m going to be doing this music shit for more than two more years," he said.
Staples is a self-erected lightning rod of controversy who seems to enjoy baiting the internet with outlandish statements, perhaps as a means of exercising his razor-sharp wit for a larger audience. Last month he questioned the importance of '90s rap, before later clarifying his comments in an entertaining Twitter debate with an enthused Tyler, the Creator and a crotchety Noreaga.
It's tough to say if Staples will follow through on his threat to retire within two years, but he does appear to be unimpressed with the perks of fame, now that he has attained it. Perhaps he will be come a comedian, or a businessman. The world is his oyster.
“It’s not that I don’t care about rap,” he said in the profile. “I’m not a fan of rap culture... [rap] doesn’t progress with the times. I think that’s unfortunate, because rap culture is an extension of black culture, no matter what anybody says. That shows we have to get better.”
“I don’t like being on the road,” he said. “Health-wise it’s not good for me, and I have other things I’d rather do. But it’s not about you at this point; you’re doing it for the fans; you’re performing the songs.”
Staples kicks off his "Circa '06" tour tomorrow, December 2, in Philly.