It took me a while to come around to Big Fish Theory when it first came out. I didn't like it at the time, essentially, because it wasn't his debut album Summertime '06.
Summertime '06 wears its heart and intentions on its sleeve. It doesn't really have a sonic gimmick or a distinctive production sound like Big Fish Theory. (Which isn't to say its production is bad by any means, just that the sound of Big Fish Theory is rooted in various electronic subgenres, whereas Summertime just sounds like dope hip hop beats. A bit reductive, but hopefully you get my point.) But you don't have to pay that much attention to understand what he's talking about. The mental toll of being black in America and growing up in poverty is clear from the moment he starts rapping on Summertime, and he never takes his foot off your throat.
When Big Fish Theory came out, it didn't hit me in the heart the same way. But it turns out I wasn't listening carefully enough.
There's a trick Vince has perfected over the years. He'll make you think you're listening to a banger or something to ride around to or something lowkey. Then you listen a little closer, and you realize that you could be listening to a song about unspeakable violence or suicidal ideation or existential dread or whatever horrors lurk in your subconscious. Or if not yours, then the national one. It's an intentional juxtaposition. You nod your head to the song. Then you think about what he's saying. Why the fuck were you nodding your head?
Big Fish Theory is the album where Vince will sharpen and perfect this skill. Maybe a little too well in certain regards. The problem, after all, with burying your message under a layer of gloss is that you're burying your message. Then again, that's also the brilliance of the album, at least on a conceptual level. You take a look at, say, Norf-- the North side of Long Beach, CA where Vince is from. What do you see? Plenty will say they see hell or worthless sprawl not worth caring about. But the people who live there and the ones who care about it see something different. Now take the opposite approach and apply it to this album. It sounds like a club record. It's really a cry of agony.
Yet it still knocks. Last year, when I was DJing at the picket line during the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, I played "Big Fish" on a semi-regular basis. It hit hard every time. Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too.
Favorite Songs: "Big Figh" "Yeah Right" "Party People"
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