Hell Can Wait
Hell Can Wait is the first official EP released by American rapper Vince Staples. It marks his first commercial project, released under Def Jam Recordings.[1][2]
Hell Can Wait | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | October 7, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013–14 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 23:27 | |||
Label | ARTium, Def Jam | |||
Vince Staples chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hell Can Wait | ||||
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Background
On August 11, 2014, Staples took to Twitter to announce a new track, "Blue Suede." On August 15, 2014, he released a music video for the song.[3] On September 2, 2014, Staples announced the initial release date for the EP as September 23, although, it was later delayed due to sample clearance issues. On September 9, 2014, Staples released the second single from Hell Can Wait, titled "Hands Up". On September 25, the new, and final release date was revealed to be October 7, 2014. On October 1, Staples posted the official track listing.[4]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[7] |
HipHopDX | 4.5/5[8] |
Paste | 8.5/10[9] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10[10] |
Vice | A−[11] |
XXL | 4/5[12] |
Hell Can Wait received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on eight reviews.[5] Jay Balfour of HipHopDX wrote "At 24 minutes, there's a satisfaction in the shortness of Hell Can Wait, partly because it's so well contained, and partly because it hints at what's next. These songs are worth the attention he's drawing, how he'll sustain it for a full album is worth taking seriously."[8] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork also wrote favorably of the EP, writing "his production values have finally caught up enough to push him past the scrappy sidekick division into the big leagues."[10] Emmanuel C. M. of XXL wrote, "The growth is unmistakable, with each song and new project, fans see his raw talent getting more finely tuned and concentrated."[12] In a positive review, David Jeffries of AllMusic wrote that although the project is too short for the "full artistic picture", there is no filler and went on to praise "Blue Suede" as the highlight of the EP.[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Vince Staples.
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fire" | Anthony Kilhoffer | 2:16 |
2. | "65 Hunnid" | Infamous | 3:05 |
3. | "Screen Door" (featuring Aston Matthews) | Hagler | 4:07 |
4. | "Hands Up" | No I.D. | 3:19 |
5. | "Blue Suede" | Hagler | 3:38 |
6. | "Limos" (featuring Teyana Taylor) | Hagler, Jordan Lewis | 3:32 |
7. | "Feelin' the Love" | Hagler | 3:30 |
Total length: | 23:27 |
Notes
- "Screen Door" contains an uncredited sample of "Cell Therapy", written by Rico Wade, Patrick Brown, Ray Murray, Cameron Gipp, Willie Knighton Jr. and Robert Barnett, and performed by Goodie Mob.
Charts
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[13] | 90 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] | 15 |
References
- "Vince Staples Has Signed to Def Jam Records". Complex. August 31, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- "Vince Staples". Def Jam. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- "Vince Staples - Blue Suede (Explicit)". YouTube.
- "Vince Staples (@vincestaples) | Twitter". web.archive.org. October 17, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- "Reviews for Hell Can Wait [EP] by Vince Staples". Metacritic. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
- Jeffries, David. "Hell Can Wait – Vince Staples". AllMusic. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- Weekes, Jabbari (October 7, 2014). "Vince Staples: Hell Can Wait". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- Balfour, Jay (October 14, 2014). "Vince Staples – Hell Can Wait". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- Kearse, Stephen F. (November 11, 2014). "Vince Staples: Hell Can Wait Review". Paste. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- Jenkins, Craig (October 14, 2014). "Vince Staples: Hell Can Wait EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- Christgau, Robert (December 18, 2015). "Long Beach Lingers: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- C. M., Emmanuel (October 7, 2014). "Vince Staples Faces Reality On 'Hell Can Wait' EP". XXL. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- "Vince Staples Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- "Vince Staples Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2016.