Ramona Park Broke My Heart is an elegy for his stolen youth—a subtle lament for the life he’s led that also pines for the one he never did. It shares the clarity he’s exhibited since the start of his career, a perspective aged by the streets he was raised on. There are no solutions here, no grand epiphany. His home just no longer provides the same comfort that it once did. A companion piece to his 2021 self-titled LP, Ramona Park Broke My Heart diverges from the innovation and technical proficiency of earlier records, in favor of introspection and contemplation.
If Vince Staples was muted by its grayscale palette, Ramona Park Broke My Heart is colored with vivid nostalgia for the sounds of his youth. “DJ Quik” flips the G-Funk spirit of the titular artist’s classic cut “Dollaz + Sense,” drowning a vintage drum machine in gauzy atmospherics; the bass line’s electronic twang on “Magic” draws from the sound of that era more directly. “East Point Prayer” is the lone departure from Southern California, melting into melancholy chords evocative of Atlanta’s emo-trap sing-raps that guest rapper Lil Baby is best known for. Despite this, Staples manages to synthesize the work of more than a dozen different producers—many virtual unknowns—with a persistent ennui shared by all the cooks in the kitchen.
| 1 | Vince Staples - The Beach |
| 2 | Vince Staples - Aye! (Free The Homies) |
| 3 | Vince Staples - DJ Quick |
| 4 | Vince Staples, DJ Mustard - Magic |
| 5 | Vince Staples - Nameless |
| 6 | Vince Staples - When Sparks Fly |
| 7 | Vince Staples, Lil Baby - East Point Prayer |
| 8 | Vince Staples - Slide |
| 9 | Vince Staples - Papercuts |
| 10 | Vince Staples, Ty$ - Lemonade |
| 11 | Vince Staples - Player Ways |
| 12 | Vince Staples - Mama's Boy |
| 13 | Vince Staples, DJ Mustard - Bang That |
| 14 | Vince Staples - The Spirit Of Monster Kody |
| 15 | Vince Staples - Rose Street |
| 16 | Vince Staples - The Blues |
