Vince Staples’ Big Fish Theory is the business — it’s one of the best albums of the year to date, and if you haven’t heard it yet, you should, y’know, probably go and do that immediately. But wait, before you do, watch this performance of “Love Can Be” from last night’s Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, because it’s a pretty good indication of what to expect from the record: unconventional beats, weird song arrangements, and Staples spitting fire on the mic.
Last night’s performance featured live vocals from Ray J (who Staples has apparently been chasing for a feature for years, and about whom he has a thoroughly entertaining theory of everything) and Kilo Kish, both of whom sing on the record, along with video footage of Damon Albarn, who mumbles the “Love can be disheartening” sample around which the track is built. The Roots provide the live instrumentation, and do a pretty decent job of xeroxing the record’s instrumental arrangement. Ray J, though. Ray J. Ray J will never lose.