Vincent Jamal Staples, better known as Vince Staples, is a rapper, songwriter and actor from the north side of Long Beach, Calif. As a child, Staples found himself in many disparate situations. He moved from school to school but cited his time at Optimal Christian Academy as particularly formative. Staples also found himself involved in gang violence at a young age. Originally, Staples had no intentions of becoming a rapper, but after an impromptu feature on an Earl Sweatshirt project, he decided to dedicate himself to hip-hop. His notable early connections included the likes of Mac Miller, No ID, Ab Soul and, of course, Schoolboy Q, whom he toured under. Using his experience as a survivor of gang violence, along with his hesitant but ultimately hopeful personality, Staples created a discography of cautionary tales, humanistic musings and personal experiences. All this and more is on display in his latest release, “Dark Times.”
Staples poses lots of existential questions, with “everybody gotta die; only question, is it in hell or in the sky” being both a bar and central tenet of “Dark Times.” Staples struggles to reconcile his religious upbringing with the tragedy he’s experienced. He speaks of devils and death but ultimately decides to “keep praying.” Is it faith by belief or by necessity? Staples stays ambiguous, but his hope stays alive.
The album opens with the single “Black&Blue.” The song starts with a piercing string line and loud drum pattern, but eventually a dusty soul sample breaks through the darkness. He laments the deaths of his friends and those he’s looked up to but ultimately proclaims perseverance, though he (and many others) have been bruised black and blue. I think his attitude is best captured through the chorus “so black and blue,” and one of his closing lines, “I look in the mirror and see somethin’ missing; I feel like it’s you.” Staples gets his meaning through human connection, and a lot of his disillusionment comes from the loss of important relationships, as will soon be more apparent.
Towards the halfway point of the album, Staples begins to mourn another type of loss. In the song “Justin,” he tells the story of his past romantic relationship, in which he was cheated on. Later on, in the song “Nothing Really Matters,” Staples develops this idea more. The verses of the song detail this heartbreak, while the chorus affirms his effect: “I guess that doesn’t matter; I guess nothing really matters at all.”
The album closes with a series of songs urging the audience to be wary of hustle culture and to keep moving through the hardship: “Life hard, I go harder” being another lyric emblematic of Staples’ message. I like to think the production mirrors his hope for others and for himself. The closing track ends with a beautiful piano solo and contains an interview sample. In this interview, the subject presents her experience on a lucid drug trip. She felt as if she were mother nature herself, feeling people die, live, hate and love everywhere within her. On the come down, she felt not horrified, but secure. Everything is where it’s meant to be.