Dark Times - Vince Staples: Review

Review By Lav: 

Vince Staples is a California rapper who broke through around a decade ago with a unique voice and a seemingly infinite saga of street tales woven impressively into cleverly written raps. After dropping his critically acclaimed debut in 2015 he's had a strange career ever since. It's marked primarily by the divisive Big Fish Theory which saw him defying rap conventions with the help of producers like Sophie, Flume, and Jimmy Edgar, as well as his somewhat maligned self-titled album with wall-to-wall production from Kenny Beats. He's had multiple short projects released in the mean time to varying degrees of acclaim, but I still can't say I've ever seen him as focused and consistent as on his debut Summertime 06. 

Delightfully, two of the biggest strengths of Dark Times is its consistency and focus. The album is fitting dark, but also surprisingly soulful throughout something set up by its great lead single Shame On The Devil. It's got a sauntering instrumental and great sung vocals on the chorus but still paints a very bleak picture. That's reflected by Vince's lyrics where he can't help but be relentlessly clever even while tackling serious subject matter.

After an intro track, Black & Blue sets the tone for the album's consistently serious tone. The track sees Vince meditating on escaping the trials and tribulations imposed on the black community while failing to reach true happiness with what he finds. Government Cheese switches up the sound a bit with a lethal flow and distant wailing synths. The second verse is a detail-rich portrayal of a conversation with a friend that features numerous memorable moments in rapid-fire succession. 

Another focus of the record is reliance on heavily narrative storytelling. Justin is one of the best examples where Vince introduces a girl to his cousin Justin. The story dense first half and more specious second half contrast well. The only part of the song I'm not crazy about is when it undermines itself with the "women lie a lot" refrain repeated between the two halves. Similarly, Radio is an experience in nostalgia where Vince reminisces on listening to the radio as a kid with references to specific stations, hosts, and artists. It's a particularly poignant song given how candid Vince has always been about his young adult years.

The final big highlight that I can't easily slot anywhere into the review is Little Homies. The song stands out completely from the rest of the record with a Kilo Kish appearance and an absolutely irresistible dancy instrumental that KAYTRANADA could probably win a lawsuit over. It sees Vince giving advice to one of his "little homies" but it comes packaged in one of the catchiest and brightest songs on the entire album. 

But Vince's preaching doesn't always translate to the best material here. Children's Song opens up with an Aphex Twin reference that builds up more good karma with me than it maybe should. It's a "children's song" in the sense that it's Vince giving advice to his contemporaries to spend more time with their children. I like the track even though it comes off as needlessly preachy at points. I'm less willing to make thematic consent for Nothing Matters. The song interpolates a D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill track but what's surprising is the subject matter. Vince is often to candid with his feelings that the very least you can say is he cares, in some capacity. That's why I was expecting the song to ultimately become an ironic turn on that cynicism, but it never really got there. 

Finally, I want to talk about Etouffe. It's a song I saw a lot of people gravitate towards and I think the main reason is Vince addressing the fans who constantly call for the "old Vince" back. Though it definitely provides some interesting insight into how Vince views his own artistry I think it has one of the weakest hooks on the album that fails to stick the landing. 

I know that may sound like a lot of complaining, but that feels like a silver lining. It's been a while since one of Vince's projects involved the level of detail and intrigue necessary to require that kind of analysis. Dark Times is a thoughtfully crafted meditation on Vince's career in a moment where it's changed substantially in just a few months. Though Vince has dabbled with this caliber of introspection before like on his last project Ramona Park Broke My Heart, Dark Times dials in the focus with a helping of sonic consistency that perfectly reinforces the content of his narratives. What results is both his most conceptual batch of tracks in recent years, but also his most consistent. 7.5/10

For more hip hop check out my review of Benny The Butcher's Everybody Can't Go