Vince Staples Calls Out the Police on “Hands Up”

Vince Staples is on a tear, following up the dystopic g-funk of "Blue Suede" with the gloomy and intense new song "Hands Up," which takes on police brutality in the wake of the events in Ferguson, Missouri. The California MC lays out his frustrations in stark terms, declaring, "I refuse the right to be silent," and calling out a broken system. The song is full of clever little barbs, such as the beat itself being built on a warped police siren sound, or the lifeless repetition of that age-old party demand "put your hands in the air" before it twists to "Nigga freeze, put your hands in the air."

And just to make sure he gets his message across, Staples finishes off the song thusly: "LBPD know they ain't 'bout shit, LAPD know they ain't 'bout shit, LASD know they ain't 'bout shit, ride around these streets givin' out full clips."

"Hands Up" is available on iTunes, and it's off his Hell Can Wait EP which drops September 23 on Def Jam, and it is going to be a monster.

[via Miss Info]