Vince Staples Shows a Softer Side on 'Dark Times'

Ten years later his debut release on Def Jam, the Hell can wait EP, Vince Staples occupies an ambiguous middle ground, stuck between arena platinum certification and the ephemeral virality that defines too much of the mainstream rap industry. It's a space he shares with a handful of others – Maxo, Rapsody, Navy Blue, his one-time Odd Future bandmate Earl Sweatshirt – and one that allows him to create densely themed musical suites on a major-label platform without the pressure of radio. Rap. He's put it to good use, delivering a string of impressive albums since his 2015 classic Summer '06 until 2022 Ramona Park Break My Heart. His fans refer to his style as “lyrical,” a highly charged term that seemingly elevates certain types of rap artists over others. But Staples knows how to throw a hook, too. Ramona Park brought the Ty Dolla $ign-enhanced “Lemonade,” which was licensed an Acura Integra ad, and “Magic” produced by Mustardas. Both cuts got plenty of West Coast airplay, but didn't break Advertising sign diagrams.

Not quite an underground rapper, not quite a big star, Staples flourished by building a rich catalog as “a middle-class thing,” as David Byrne once described his Talking Heads. This sense of in-betweenness is not without tension, however, and you can hear some of his frustration emerging on his sixth album, Dark Times. “The label tryin' to give me feedback/Tell me, 'Bring the streets back'/The fans said they want 2015 Vince/They dropped 'Big Fish', the club been weak since (damn)” he raps on “Étouffée ». As he references Cash Money on the chorus, he adds, “All I wanted was a pair of grinders/I'm making the city proud.”

Somehow, Dark Times is an end-of-contract vintage album (it's the last in his ten-year deal with UMG), with Staples taking stock of a career that includes a well-received Netflix show (2023's The Vince Staples Show). “I was given an opportunity as a teenager by Def Jam and Universal, so I really appreciate that,” he said. RS' Andre Gee earlier this week. Some of his themes will be familiar to listeners, including his lifelong identity as a Crip soldier from Long Beach, and a lingering sense of survivor's guilt for making it when so many friends didn't. “It's hard to sleep when you're the only one living the dream/Hard to leave niggas hanging when you're the money tree,” he raps on “Government Cheese.” Other aspects feel like fresh ground. It often references sadness and relationship angst, particularly in the second half of the 35-minute album. “The woman I love won't respond to my text,” he raps on “Radio” — cue Eazy-E's “Radio” and Greg Mack interludes — which opens with shout-outs to Aughts favorites like Nelly and Blu & Exile . Under the Heavens and ends with him wallowing in his emotions, listening to “Etta James and Amy [Winehouse]waiting for the day he takes me back.”

Like most (male) rappers, Staples has a conflicted relationship with women and, by proxy, the dangers of emotional openness. One of its key pieces is Summer '06 “Summer,” where he harmonized, “My feelings told me that love is real/But feelings that are known to kill you.” On previous albums, Staples' determination to maintain his bulletproof toughness has led him to revisit and rewrite the same stories about his past and being stuck, making every moment of vulnerability feel like rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds.

But with Dark Times, Staples sticks to softer tones. The street bravado he displays on “Children's Song,” where he warns, “Don't play with my Crip and you play with your kids, bitch,” feels offset by tracks like “Shame on the Devil,” where he makes a hard-hitting confession . : “I know some hoes who'll get up to give me some pussy before they come to hug me.” It uses a heavily sampled 1971 interview between Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin; on “Liars” to emphasize how people should show their best selves to their romantic partners, even if the persona feels fake. (“You lied when you smiled at that cracker under the job, right?” Giovanni said. “Treat me the same way you treat him.”) Finally, Staples flips the closing track, “Why Won't It Come Out the sun', to Sandigold, who talks about a vivid dream she had. It then goes back to Staples feeling about the “hoes” giving him sex instead of affection. “It's crazy,” he concludes.

Dark Times he has a handful of the kind of hits you should find in his catalog. A highlight is “Little Homies,” where he croons, “Life hard, but I go harder” over a sticky, house-y beat by Kaelin Ellis and LeKen Taylor and backing vocals by Kilo Kish. “Nothing Really Matters” is a catchy mid-tempo ballad featuring a Maddy Davis chorus. Throughout, Staples' dominant instincts such as narrative-driven songwriting and powerful choruses sustain him. His flow falters a bit, particularly on “Étouffée”. If he sounds reserved at times, it may be due to his self-awareness in reaching a new level of maturity and, paradoxically, spirituality. “Keep Prayin,” he sings at the end of “Shame on the Devil.”

It feels brave for Staples to reach new depths of understanding about his life and the people he meets. That makes Dark Times a richer piece of music than the stock action heroics that characterize rap, even if every moment on the album doesn't quite work. Will it bring him the kind of mainstream success he's long deserved? Who knows. But as he turns a page in his career toward an unknown future, he should feel nothing but a sense of accomplishment.