Dark Times (album)

Dark Timesis the sixth studio album by American rapperVince Staples. It was released on May 24, 2024, throughBlacksmith RecordsandDef Jam Recordings. It marks his first release on Def Jam sinceFM!(2018), and is also his final release with the label. Production was primarily handled by longtime collaboratorsMichael Uzowuruand LeKen Taylor, alongsideCardo,Jay Versace, and Saint Mino, among others. It marks his first album to not feature any guest vocalists,althoughKilo Kish,Santigold,Baby Roseand 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.
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 theOdd Future collective's membersSyd tha Kyd,Mike G, andEarl Sweatshirt. Although he had not intended to become a rapper, he made someguest appearanceson their songs, most notably "epaR" from Earl Sweatshirt's March 2010 mixtapeEarl. Staples released his official debut mixtapeShyne Coldchain Vol. 1on December 30, 2011, via applebird.com;and also released a collaborative mixtape with producerMichael Uzowuru, titledWinter in Praguein October 2012.After making three appearances on Earl's debut studio albumDoristhe next year, including the single "Hive", theliner notesrevealed Staples had recently signed to thehip hoprecord labelDef Jam Recordings, falling under producerNo I.D.'s ARTium imprint, as well asBlacksmith Records.The mixtapeShyne Coldchain IIwas released on March 13, 2014, seven months after the signing was revealed.
After releasing his first three albumsSummertime '06,Big Fish TheoryandFM!on Def Jam, Staples signed a new deal with theMotownrecord label, releasing hiseponymous fourth albumandRamona Park Broke My Heartrespectively 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 inCologne.When interviewed by radio DJBig Boythe next month, Staples revealed that he would release a new album before his tour.
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 fromBaby Rose.
He headlined the Black in America tour alongsideBaby Rosein support of the album, starting inAtlantaon October 5, 2024 and concluding inLos Angeleson November 6, 2024.
Dark Timeswas met with universal acclaim from critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received anaveragescore of 82, based on 11 reviews.Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Reviewing the album forAllMusic, 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."
Writing forBeats Per Minute, John Amen commented, "If Staples' self-titled introduced us to the artist's ability to interrogate a limbo,Dark Timesis 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".
InExclaim!'s review, writer Wesley McLean noted that the album plays like a fitting conclusion to the trilogy beginning with 2021'sVince 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."Mosi Reeves' review forRolling Stoneconcludes: "It feels brave for Staples to reach towards new depths of understanding about his life and the people he encounters."
Peter Berry ofVarietydescribed 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."
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