Summertime '06 is the debut studio double album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on June 30, 2015, through ARTium Recordings, Blacksmith Records, and Def Jam Recordings. The album was primarily produced by No I.D., alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including DJ Dahi, Clams Casino, Brian Kidd, Christian Rich, and Mikky Ekko. The album was supported by three singles: "Señorita", "Get Paid", and "Norf Norf".
"Summertime '06" received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the album's production and Staples' lyricism. The album debuted at number 39 on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 13,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
Background and promotion.
On June 7, 2015, Staples released the album's official artwork via Instagram, where he wrote: ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;Love tore us all apart. Love for self, love for separation, love for the little we all had, love for each other, where we came from… Summer of 2006, the beginning of the end of everything I though I knew. Youth was stolen from my city that Summer and Im left alone to tell the story. This might not make sense but that's because none of it does, we're stuck. Love tore us all apart. "Summertime '06", June 30th.
On June 2, 2015, Staples revealed the track listing for disc one of this double album on his Twitter account, and then for the disc two on June 6, 2015. On June 21, 2015, "Summertime '06" was made available for streaming on NPR. On August 24, 2016, the full version of the album's final track "'06" was released on "Adult Swim Singles Program 2016".
Singles.
The album's first single, "Señorita", was released on May 4, 2015. The album's second single, "Get Paid", which features a guest appearance from Long Beach-native rapper Desi Mo, was released on June 15, 2015. The album's third and final single, "Norf Norf", was released on June 22, 2015.
Album artwork.
The album cover art is based on that of the iconic 1979 album "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division, whom Staples was a fan of growing up.
Critical reception.
"Summertime '06" was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on 24 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Splitting this weighty and rich effort into digestible chunks, the album's physical release comes on two separate discs, making "Summertime '06" an artistic triumph wrapped in conceptually fitting package". Evan Rytlewski of "The A.V. Club" said, "It's a major triumph disguised as a minor one—60 minutes of lean, inventive, important rap music that never pats itself on the back for being any of those things". Alex Gale of "Billboard" said, "[A] promising, unapologetically dense debut". Adam Kivel of "Consequence" said, "Former Kanye mentor No I.D., DJ Dahi, and Clams Casino handle production on the album, but they work together with Staples so that the seams between the different dreams, hallucinations, memories, and nightmares don't show". Lanre Bakare of "The Guardian" said, "In a year of impressive solo rap albums, Staples has managed to create one that's arguably the most idiosyncratic of the lot". Erin Lowers of "Exclaim!" said, ""Summertime '06"'s coming of age tale is complemented perfectly by production that finds the nuance in Staples' stories and matches it, couching Staples' rhymes in a way that the streets can understand best".
Jay Balfour of "HipHopDX" said, "No I.D. and company have helped him make music that's both uncomfortable and lived-in, and Staples sounds more himself inside of it than ever before". Colin Fitzgerald of "PopMatters" said, ""Summertime '06" is the kind of coming-of-age story that's common to hip-hop, but Staples delivers his account with a furious passion and refreshing insight". Jayson Greene of "Pitchfork" said, ""Summertime '06" is breathtakingly focused, a marathon that feels like a sprint". M. T. Richards of "Spin" said, "Virtually every song slaps like crazy". Dan Rys of "XXL" said, "It is, simply, one of the best rap debuts of the year". Martin Caballero of "The Boston Globe" said, "Vince Staples goes all-in on his sprawling double-LP commercial debut, and the returns are decent if not world-beating". Christopher R. Weingarten of "Rolling Stone" said, "It adds up to a hard-hitting 20-track portrait of life and love in a mad city".
Commercial performance.
"Summertime '06" debuted at number 39 on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 13,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It ranked 20th on "Billboard"'s Top Album Sales chart for the week of July 18, 2015.
Track listing.
Notes
Sample credits
Charts.
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References.
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