Dark Times is the sixth studio album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on May 24, 2024, through Blacksmith Records and Def Jam Recordings. It marks his first release on Def Jam since FM! (2018), and is also his final release with the label. Production was primarily handled by longtime collaborators Michael Uzowuru and LeKen Taylor, alongside Cardo, Jay Versace, and Saint Mino, among others. It marks his first album to not feature any guest vocalists,[a] although Kilo Kish, Santigold, Baby Rose and Maddy Davis provide additional contributions.
The album was promoted by the single "Shame on the Devil", as well as the Black in Europa and Black in America tours.
Background
Vince Staples was discovered by Dijon "LaVish" Samo and Chuck Wun, alongside his cousin Campbell Emerson. LaVish took Staples on a trip to Los Angeles, where he befriended the Odd Future collective's members Syd tha Kyd, Mike G, and Earl Sweatshirt. Although he had not intended to become a rapper, he made some guest appearances on their songs, most notably "epaR" from Earl Sweatshirt's March 2010 mixtape Earl. Staples released his official debut mixtape Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 on December 30, 2011, via applebird.com;[1] and also released a collaborative mixtape with producer Michael Uzowuru, titled Winter in Prague in October 2012.[2] After making three appearances on Earl's debut studio album Doris the next year, including the single "Hive", the liner notes revealed Staples had recently signed to the hip hop record label Def Jam Recordings, falling under producer No I.D.'s ARTium imprint, as well as Blacksmith Records.[2] The mixtape Shyne Coldchain II was released on March 13, 2014, seven months after the signing was revealed.
After releasing his first three albums Summertime '06, Big Fish Theory and FM! on Def Jam, Staples signed a new deal with the Motown record label, releasing his eponymous fourth album and Ramona Park Broke My Heart respectively in 2021 and 2022. In March 2024, Staples announced a European tour called Black in Europa, which would be scheduled to kick off in June in Cologne.[3][4] When interviewed by radio DJ Big Boy the next month, Staples revealed that he would release a new album before his tour.[5]
On May 19, 2024, Staples announced the album's title, cover and tracklist via X and Instagram, while also previewing a snippet of the lead single "Shame on the Devil", which would be released the following day, with vocals from Baby Rose.[6]
He headlined the Black in America tour alongside Baby Rose in support of the album, starting in Atlanta on October 5, 2024 and concluding in Los Angeles on November 6, 2024.[7]
Vince Staples and Baby Rose performing at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. in October 2024 for the Black in America Tour in support of the album
Critical reception
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Dark Times was met with universal acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 11 reviews.[9] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[8]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas described Staples performance as "Seemingly effortless" and claimed he was, "in top form." He also called it, "another chapter of his uniquely smoke-colored narratives, form-fitting production, and perfectly balanced expressions of heaviness and acceptance."[10]
Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Amen commented, "If Staples' self-titled introduced us to the artist's ability to interrogate a limbo, Dark Times is more detailed and specific in its mission and references; as a result, he seems less guarded, more vulnerable". Amen concluded, "Staples dances between despair and the commitment to continue searching – for inspiration, equanimity, for a sense of wholeness, as elusive as that may be".[18]
In Exclaim!'s review, writer Wesley McLean noted that the album plays like a fitting conclusion to the trilogy beginning with 2021's Vince Staples, elaborating that " In the three acts of this unofficial trilogy, Staples has given us his self-portrait, followed by a world-building love letter to his hometown and insular reflections on his life experiences and their effect on him."[13] Mosi Reeves' review for Rolling Stone concludes: "It feels brave for Staples to reach towards new depths of understanding about his life and the people he encounters."[19]
Peter Berry of Variety described the album as "equal parts bleak and merciful" and "a lucid snapshot of melancholy" with "swirling dreary beats with even more overcast thoughts" that "presents a meticulous portrait of someone with just enough reason to wait for sunrise."[20]
"(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go", written by Curtis Mayfield, Gary Slabo, and Riley Hampton, as performed by Mayfield.[31]
"Government Cheese" contains a sample of "Blue Suede", originally released on the Hell Can Wait EP (2014).[32]
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