FM!

FM! is the third studio album by American rapper Vince Staples, released on November 2, 2018, through Blacksmith Records and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album is primarily produced by Kenny Beats, with further production by Hagler, Cubeatz and KillaGraham, and features guest vocals from Kamaiyah, E-40, Jay Rock, Kehlani, Earl Sweatshirt, Buddy and Tyga, among others. The album is framed as a radio station takeover, featuring recurring skits hosted by Los Angeles radio host Big Boy.[2][3]

FM!
Studio album by Vince Staples
Released	November 2, 2018
Studio	Conway EastWest Paramount Sphere
Genre	Hip hop[1]
Length	22:16
Label	Blacksmith Def Jam
Producer	Cubeatz Hagler Kenny Beats KillaGraham
Vince Staples chronology
Big Fish Theory (2017) FM! (2018)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[4]
Metacritic	81/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Consequence of Sound	B+[7]
DIY	[8]
Exclaim!	8/10[9]
Mojo	[10]
NME	[11]
Now	4/5[12]
Pitchfork	8.2/10[13]
Q	[14]
XXL	4/5[15]

FM! was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 81, based on 16 reviews.[5] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[4]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave the album a positive review stating, "Despite FM!'s brevity, Staples jams so much into every bar that it fully satiates, all while still managing to end so abruptly that it comes as a surprise. The electrifying thrill of FM! is a triumph for the rapper who remains at the top of his game."[6] Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre wrote, "Vince is at ease here, intertwining his personality into his somber celebration of Long Beach like never before. He's rapping his ass off, and hooks are mostly an afterthought. He dips in and out of inventive flows."[13] Chris Gibbons of XXL wrote: "FM! is definitely more centrally focused than either of those EPs [2014's Hell Can Wait and 2016's Prima Donna]. And even if this is just an off-hand project Vince recorded quickly, it's a hell of a one-off album that's full of charm and lyrical depth paired with fantastic production. Tune in."[15] NME critic Dhruva Balram said, "Each idea is significantly different from the last and this latest album is an immersive look at the grizzly realities of millions."[11] Clayton Tomlinson of Exclaim! said, "Vince has managed to not only be acerbic but entertaining on his newest release. Its only drawback is its extremely short runtime."[9] Nick Flanagan of Now concluded: "With production duties primarily hot potatoed between Hagler and Kenny Beats, the beats and feel are consistent and strong while not getting in the way of Staples' flow, which is elastic and modern without losing an inch of his clarity and bluntness."[12]

Tommy Monroe of Consequence of Sound stated that "FM! features the rapper in his raw form and representing his love for the west coast. Whether you decide to hit play in chronological order or skip around, this album will have you bobbing your head at any point. FM! is a sunny day that not even being stuck in LA traffic can ruin."[7] Will Richards from DIY stated, "While Big Fish Theory saw the rapper centre stage, relentless and omnipresent, on FM! he lets us tune in to a calmer world, one which he dips in and out of when he pleases, filling in the blanks and staying in the fast lane."[8] Shea Serrano at The Ringer called the album "smart, and biting, and funny, and challenging, and a top-level examination of the caustic (and casual) existence of violence and death in an overlooked corner of America."[1]

Accolades

Year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
AllMusic	AllMusic Best of 2018	N/A	[16]
Complex	50 Best Albums of 2018	31	[17]
Consequence of Sound	The Top 50 Albums of 2018	21	[18]
Flood Magazine	The Best Albums of 2018	12	[19]
Highsnobiety	The 25 Best Albums of 2018	15	[20]
NME	Best Albums of the Year 2018	30	[21]
Noisey	Noisey's 100 Best Albums of 2018	39	[22]
NPR Music	The 50 Best Albums of 2018	36	[23]
Okayplayer	The Best Albums of 2018	14	[24]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2018	26	[25]
The Ringer	The Best Albums of 2018	4	[26]
Rolling Stone	50 Best Albums of 2018	18	[27]
Slant Magazine	The 25 Best Albums of 2018	14	[28]
Stereogum	The Best Albums of 2018	14	[29]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Kenny Beats, except where noted.

FM! track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Feels Like Summer"	Vincent Staples Kenneth Blume III Tyrone Griffin, Jr.^[a]		2:29
2.	"Outside!"	Staples Blume III		2:05
3.	"Don't Get Chipped"	Staples Blume III Johnny McKinzie Kevin Gomringer Tim Gomringer	Kenny Beats Cubeatz	2:28
4.	"Relay"	Staples Marvin Thomas	Hagler	2:17
5.	"New EarlSweatshirt" (interlude)	Staples Thebe Kgositsile Blume III		0:22
6.	"Run the Bands"	Staples Thomas	Hagler	3:08
7.	"Fun!"	Staples Thomas	Hagler Kenny Beats^[b]	2:51
8.	"No Bleedin"	Staples Blume III Kamaiyah Johnson		2:03
9.	"Brand New Tyga" (interlude)	Michael "Tyga" Stevenson Blume III		0:35
10.	"[phone]" (skit)			0:52
11.	"Tweakin'"	Staples Blume III Graham Muron Kehlani Parrish	Kenny Beats KillaGraham	3:06
Total length:				22:16

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies transcription
• ^{^[b]} signifies additional production

Personnel

Vocalists Vincent Staples – vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–8 and 11) Earl Sweatshirt – vocals (track 5) Tyga – vocals (track 9) Ty Dolla Sign – additional vocals (track 1) Vonnie – additional vocals (tracks 1 and 11) James Larsen – additional vocals (track 2) Briana Lee – additional vocals (track 2) Adrian Tupas – additional vocals (track 2) Mila Tambaoan – additional vocals (track 2) Amos (Kaden) Chea – additional vocals (track 2) Jay Rock – additional vocals (track 3) E-40 – additional vocals (track 7) Kamaiyah – additional vocals (track 8) Kehlani – additional vocals (track 11) Buddy – additional vocals (track 11)

Technical personnel Tyler Page – recording engineering (tracks 1–8 and 11) Michael Law Thomas – recording engineering (tracks 2, 4, 6–8 and 11) James Royo – recording engineering (tracks 1 and 5) Christian "CQ" Quiñonez – recording engineering (track 9) Oliver "Odrizz" Krueger – assistant recording engineering (track 6) Derek "MixedByAli" Ali – mixing Aria Angel Ali – mixing Cyrus "NOIS" Taghipour – assistant mixing

Charts

Chart performance for FM!

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30]	47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31]	129
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32]	44
Irish Albums (IRMA)[33]	55
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34]	40
US Billboard 200[35]	37
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[36]	23

References

1. Serrano, Shea (November 5, 2018). "Vince Staples's 'FM!' Is the Rap Album of the Year". The Ringer. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
2. Breihan, Tom (November 6, 2018). "Vince Staples 'FM!' Review: Efficient and Elemental". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
3. Li, Nicolaus (November 1, 2018). "Vince Staples 'FM!' Album Is a West Coast Radio Station Takeover". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
4. "FM! by Vince Staples reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
5. "FM! by Vince Staples Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
6. Yeung, Neil Z. "FM! – Vince Staples". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
7. Monroe, Tommy (November 6, 2018). "Vince Staples Shouts Out California on the Breezy FM!". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
8. Richards, Will (November 5, 2018). "Vince Staples – FM!". DIY. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
9. Tomlinson, Clayton (November 6, 2018). "Vince Staples: FM!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
10. Mulvey, John (February 2019). "Vince Staples: FM!". Mojo (303): 84.
11. Balram, Dhruva (November 2, 2018). "Vince Staples – 'FM!' review". NME. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
12. Flanagan, Nick (November 8, 2018). "Review: Vince Staples trims the fat on FM!". Now. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
13. Pierre, Alphonse (November 2, 2018). "Vince Staples: FM!". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
14. Howe, Rupert (January 2019). "Vince Staples: FM!". Q (393): 113.
15. Gibbons, Chris (November 20, 2018). "Vince Staples Pays Homage to West Coast on 'FM!' Album". XXL. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
16. "AllMusic Best of 2018". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
17. "50 Best Albums of 2018". Complex. December 5, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
18. "The Top 50 Albums of 2018". Consequence of Sound. December 2, 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
19. "The Best Albums of 2018". Flood Magazine. December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
20. "The 25 Best Albums of 2018". Highsnobiety. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
21. "Best albums of the year 2018". NME. December 13, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
22. "Noisey's 100 Best Albums of 2018". Noisey. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
23. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". NPR Music. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
24. "The Best Albums of 2018". Okayplayer. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
25. "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
26. "The Best Albums of 2018". The Ringer. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
27. "50 Best Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone. December 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
28. "The 25 Best Albums of 2018". Slant Magazine. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
29. "The Best Albums of 2018". Stereogum. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
30. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 12, 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
31. "Ultratop.be – Vince Staples – FM!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
32. "Queen Places Five Albums In This Week's Top 200". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
33. "Irish Albums Chart: 9 November 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
34. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 12, 2018. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
35. "Vince Staples Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
36. "Vince Staples Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.