Vince Staples has debuted the video for “Magic,” the first single off his forthcoming album Ramona Park Broke My Heart due out in April via Blacksmith Recordings / Motown Records. Filmed by Prettybird directing duo KENTEN, the visual features a series of one-take shots with camera movement that shows Vince’s day from a surrealist perspective, allowing the viewer to see everything around him as an observer.
Produced by Mustard, “Magic” is a celebration of how Staples was able to beat the inner city blues and a system designed to keep him seeped in the adversity he was raised in. “It’s handshakes and hugs when I come around,” he raps just before acknowledging that there are foes around who don’t enjoy seeing him win. “I think it’ll put the listener in a good state of mind,” Staples says. “The mood of it defines the project.”
Last month, Staples began his run as supporting act on Tyler, the Creator’s 34-date North American Call Me If You Get Lost tour, which also features Kali Uchis and Teezo Touchdown. Rolling Stone called Staples’ performance in Phoenix “a welcome reminder of the durability and longevity of his output over the past few years,” while The Dallas Observer raved “Vince Staples absolutely killed it” in Dallas and The Star Tribune said his performance in Minneapolis “went over big,” adding “the location [of the stage] lent a more intimate, personable power to Staples’ imaginative songs like ‘The Shining’ and ‘74’.” The celebrated rapper will also return to Coachella to perform this April on the 17th and 24th.
Most recently, Staples released his debut graphic novel: Limbo Beach via Z2 Comics. Co-written by industry vets Bryan Edward Hill (Batman & the Outsiders; Titans), Chris Robinson (Children of the Atom), and Buster Moody (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), it follows the journey of the newest member of the Wunderlosts, a band of misfit teenage raiders, on a journey to discover the truth about the park—and himself—in a tale that is equal parts Lord of the Flies and The Warriors.”
Ramona Park Broke My Heart follows Staples’ 2021 critically acclaimed self-titled LP that welcomed fans to his hometown (the Ramona Park neighborhood of Long Beach, CA) in addition to introducing personal friends and family. Entirely produced by Kenny Beats, Rolling Stone praised Staples’ for his “brilliantly concise songwriting” and “knack for combining brevity and sly wordplay” with Pitchfork calling Staples and Beats “unstoppable forces” saying, “there’s fire to be found even in the duo’s quietest moments,” while NPR called the project “powerful,” and NME described it as “another spectacular record.”