Call me biased, but Vince Staples’ self-titled album is still my pick for the best of the year so far. It’s incisive and vivid, paranoid and nostalgic, witty and world-weary, all at the same time. A perfect microcosm of the album’s worldview is its Fousheé-featuring single “Take Me Home,” which Vince and Fousheé stopped by The Tonight Show to perform Wednesday.
As stripped-down as the album is, the circular stage the two artists share is fittingly bare as they sit back-to-back under blue light, delivering their straight-faced performances directly into the camera. The stage itself rotates to bring each to the foreground for their respective verses/hooks.
Vince’s appearance on The Tonight Show is just one of the examples of his newfound commitment to his artistry, which he says he wanted to highlight on the new album. He recently performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts — again, with Fousheé, the lone feature on the album, as his special guest — and he plans to hit the road with Tyler The Creator on the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour. He also popped up in a cameo in Tyler’s Converse commercial, increasing his visibility as he enters the next phase of his career.
Watch Vince Staples’ Tonight Show performance of “Take Me Home” featuring Fousheé above.