The latest from Vince Staples, and follow up to 2021’s self-titled release, finds the rapper wrestling with the continued ramifications of his upbringing in gang-culture and squaring that personal experience with the wider impact of that lifestyle and culture on his peers, community and loved ones. Musically the album sits on the mellower end of the Hip Hop spectrum, while the lyrical tone tends towards an uneasy, resigned acceptance of the darkness he confronts. Throughout, however, Staples contextualises the darkness and violence he talks of with the emotive weight and impact it had on himself and others, imbuing the psyche of the wider community with an outlet and voice. Even at the album’s bleakest moments, it’s clear Staples has a deep love and attachment to his history and peers, and through that deep sense of care he draws a thread of light. Vulnerable and self-reflective, ‘Ramona Park…’ is Vince Staples at his most incisive.