Vince Staples believes musician are defined by the work they put out. And the work that they put out exists at the root of one of two worlds as he sees it. They are either creating commerce or they are creating art. As a musician, he sees himself as a rapper cut from the later cloth. As a music lover, Staples' tastes vary so much that it would be difficult to pin down exactly where his influences lie. He says he loves Daft Punk, N.E.R.D., and Gwen Stefani, and he confesses to having listened to the likes of Missy Elliot and Kanye West. Whether he'd consider those artists influences on his work would be a question. Take Eminem for example, whose catalog has some gems that he really enjoys. But would Eminem be one of Staples' musical influences? "Oh hell no!" he says.
"I like 8 Mile though, I love it. I love 8 Mile. And I liked “My Name Is” when I was a kid, and I really liked “Without Me,” Staples said, during an exclusive he recently did with Vulture. In it he names Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Skepta and Stormzy as some of the artists he enjoys by the sheer recognition they've earned from him as rap figures who truly care about the music. And throughout the feature, it becomes apparent that he's got an affinity for Travis Scott and Tyler The Creator; both of whom are mentioned several times during the one-on-one.
Other Staples favorites include Kilo Kish, Sophie, Bon Iver and Lil Uzi Vert. Lil Uzi's name came up on the subject of influence, but not as one of his own influences. Rather, when discussing the new wave of rappers incorporating punk and metal style and culture into their work, he was quick to point out that such rappers are actually more-so ripping other rappers who did it before them, than they are ripping another genre. But Uzi is something of the prototype, Staples infers, almost as if to say he's spawned a couple of wannabes. While Uzi is something he himself enjoys listening to though, he's good doing him.
Source: vulture.com
