Compton rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples is back with his 5th LP. Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart from a couple years ago, Vince is fulfilling his Def James contract on Dark Times.
After the “Close Your Eyes & Swing” intro, the first song “Black&Blue” is this vigorous kickstarter talking about still being on some n***a shit whereas the boom bap driven “Government Cheese” encourages the listeners to smile & not to lose their inner child. “Children’s Song” goes for a twangier trap vibe instrumentally telling y’all to stop playing with his crib & play with your kids instead ahead of “Shame on the Devil” going for a conscious west coast hip hop vibe talking about God making him special.
Jay Versace‘s production on “Étouffée” takes the atmospheric route & Vince paying homage to the New Orleans hip hop scene during the hook & after the “Liars” skit, “Justin” returns to the boom bap telling the story of a woman who’s already in a relationship. “Radio” gives off a solemn trap flare to the beat from Cardo so he can turn up his hustle while “Nothing Matters” brings back the kicks & snares asking why she told him that she loves him when she doesn’t.
“Little Homies” begins the encore of Dark Times by hopping over a funky instrumental telling all his lil homies out there listening to be blessed & keep their heads on a swivel when they stop while the last song “Freeman” prior to the “Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?” outro fulfills Vince’s contract with Def Jam talks about everything being all good.
Even I thought that Vince had already left Def Jam since he’s been releasing his last couple projects through Motown Records, but at least he officially went out by finding the clarity that he was looking for when he initially signed his first major label deal over a decade ago. It has a prominently conscious west coast hip hop sound to it with additional neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, jazz rap & experimental hip hop undertones sprinkled in & you can truly hear his growth after all this time.
Score: 4.5/5
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