Review Summary: Fish outta water...
Let’s make one thing clear here,
Big Fish Theory is not your typical hip-hop record. Vince treads new water both literally and thematically on this album. The overall production on Big Fish Theory is unique in comparison to a standard hip-hop record in that a majority of the time it sounds as if the beats are being submerged underwater, cold and drenched yet bubbling with life. The club-esque beats paired with eccentric instrumentals which shift between poppy rap lines and hard hitting energetic verses provide for some refreshing variation that keeps the listener engaged throughout the entirety of the album.
The unorthodox nature of this album is primarily noticeable in its production. When seeing the involvement of producers like SOPHIE you can expect metallic and jarring productions with a nearly surrealistic vibe.
BFT’s production most notably shines on tracks ‘745’ and ‘Homage’. ‘745’ begins with a lush and elegant sounding synth line that is reminiscent of the water theme song from Super Mario 64. Tracks like this are where we see the more poppy verses compounded with a relaxed beat that Vince flows over smoothly. On tracks such as Homage synth lines that sound like water trickling as they swell into bass beats that Vince rides on like a wave with his aggressive flow. These songs both share an aquatic sounding melody and beat which remain consistent throughout the album. In general, we can see a commonality in the overarching production of
BFT, bloated production, dance beats, and infectious rap verses.
Much like his previous record Summertime ’06, we can see Vince’s continued frustration with societal ignorance to the black community and the difficulty in breaching mainstream success. On opener ‘Crabs in a Bucket’, Vince compares succeeding in the music industry to how crabs that are placed in a bucket will desperately try to escape in futility. Inherently, one crab will never remain on top. Vince furthers this frustration throughout the album with lyrics like
“pray the police don’t come blow me down ‘cause of my complexion.” Though Vince shares this continued vexation, there is a sense of self-realization that wasn’t apparent before. Vince recognizes that rap has changed his life, impacting him in a positive manner despite his resentment for the game itself. This feeling is best expressed on his primary single ‘Big Fish’ in which he states he has come
“so far from his past misfortune.” Vince is clearly not living the same lifestyle as he was when he grew up as a gangster in a bad neighborhood. This track represents Vince’s transformation from living life poor and in gangs, to one of the greatest rappers of this day and age.
Throughout the record we are also treated with some well-placed guest appearances. Unsurprisingly, Damon Albarn appears on the song ‘Love Can Be’, in which Damon repeats the line
“love can be” in a haunting manner which pairs well with the downtrodden instrumental that begins the track. Kilo Kish also adds luscious vocals as the track continues which balance well against the punchy beats. Grammy award winning producer Flume also has a hand in the track ‘Yeah Right’, and Kendrick Lamar pops in for a closing verse on the aforementioned song. This is arguably one of the most experimental tracks on the album, due to Vince’s most poppy, hypnotic and repetitive verses. The transition of Kucka’s vocals do well to lead into Kendrick’s rapping which continues to show him as the force to be reckoned with in hip-hop. His bars are second to none in both creativity, flow, and intelligence. This intelligence is best presented in his use of figures of speech, i.e.
“being off the porch like FedEx”,
“roll like fried rice and tempura shrimp” and
“lookin’ for the next road kill for the headlight.” The overall result is a track that is sure to have the most replay value as it showcases Vince’s pop and rap personas, some well-placed features and stellar production. The album concludes with ‘Rain Come Down’, in which Vince and Ty Dolla $ign use rain as an evocative metaphor bringing the album to a close with gritty beats and emotional turmoil.
Big Fish Theory, though not your typical hip-hop record, produces one of the most rewarding listens of the year. Vince continues to push boundaries and shows his prowess as a quintessential rapper to follow in the current hip-hop scene. Vince creates enthralling atmospheres paired with some of the most original concepts for a hip-hop record both in concept and production. Anyone who takes the time to give this a listen will be compensated with innovation, memorable verses, and a sentiment they can’t shake.
