FADER has now unveiled the third and final cover star of its annual Summer Music Issue: Vince Staples. His cover arrives after the magazine revealed the issue's first two starring acts: Rae Sremmurd and the French brothers who make up the rap duo PNL. The new cover shows Vince with his eyes closed and his chin resting on his entwined palms, looking content as can be. The title of his cover story is "Vince Staples, Regular Genius."
The story looks back upon Staples' life in Long Beach, CA, and how hip-hop, more than anything, served as a distraction from watching his peers dying in the streets. He talks about his artistic progression, and how he's been able to make music that is both personal and necessarily socio-political. The feature piece includes input from Def Jam VP No I.D., who was the executive producer of Staples' excellent debut album, Summertime '06.
Staples also uses his FADER profile to announce his upcoming EP, which will be called Prima Donna. A year after Summertime '06 proved him as one of the West's most compelling voices, it's about time for some new music. Our expectations are about as high as they could be for an EP -- especially considering the quality of the Hell Can Wait EP that preceded Summertime '06.
Read his FADER story here, and watch the accompanying video below, in which Staples tries to explain what he's all about.