Watch Vince Staples’ Tiny Desk Performance

Skip to main contentNewsletterNewsReviewsBest New MusicFeaturesListsColumnsVideoThe Long Beach rapper played cuts off his new album Cry BabyCourtesy of NPR/YouTubeAhead of his fall tour, Vince Staples stopped by NPR’s Washington D.C. headquarters to perform five cuts off his abrasive new rock-inspired album Cry Baby, which delves into the country’s continued disenfranchisement of Black Americans. During a live take of “Go! Go! Gorilla” Staples took a moment to shout out deceased Black Panther members killed by law enforcement, including Bobby Hutton, George Jackson, and Larry Kimmons. You can watch the full performance below.Later in the set, Staples recalled a conversation he had before filming the explosive music video for lead album single “Blackberry Marmalade.” “One of my homies…was nervous about putting out that video,” said Staples. “He was like, ‘Hey man, we can’t shoot a bunch of Black people in a restaurant and shit, that’s going to go over poorly.’ I was like, ‘I guarantee you when we put out the second video where we painted the flag a little bit, they are going to be way more upset about that.”Revisit Mankaprr Conteh’s review of Staples’ Cry Baby.Alex Suskind has overseen music coverage at New York magazine’s Vulture and, before that, Entertainment Weekly (where he also co-founded the publication’s union). He has written about TV, film, technology, politics, and tons of other stuff for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Vice, and The Fader. ... Read More