Released on May 24, “Dark Times” proves to be one of the most introspective Hip Hop albums of the year. The 35 minute project continues a theme of injury in Vince Staples’ projects, one caused by his youth as a Crip in Long Beach California, a beautiful but dangerous city.
With the intro of the album “Close Your Eyes and Swing” transitioning into the song “Black and Blue,” audiences are quickly brought into a mood of melancholy nostalgia. In “Black and Blue,” Staples reminisces about his youth, but regards the systemic oppression that created the violence plaguing Long Beach.
The following track “Government Cheese” shows a vulnerable side of Staples, with tragedy caused by the violence of Long Beach. Lyrics such as “had to bury my older brother, it humbled me,” describe his state of mind, showing the anguish he went through.
Backing the theme of self reflection is the song “Shame On The Devil.” With this track, a slowed down beat and echoing background vocals bring a feeling of dejection. Lyrics prove this with lines such as “I long for loving and affection, these h**s arent what I need, I need direction.”
In the succeeding song “Etouffee,” Staples expresses how his label attempted to get him to return to rapping about his past street life, something he has been trying to heal from. In the first part of the track Staples raps about his past, but in the second verse, he preaches to listeners about the dangers of this life and how there is no winning in a life of crime.
Staples embarks into a feeling of nostalgia with the track “Radio.” In this song he reminiscences about his childhood before he became involved in gangs. Staples raps about listening to the radio with his father and how it got him interested in Hip Hop.
The lyrical abilities of Staples are proven in the following song “Nothing Matters,” with bars such as “that’s when a boy becomes a man I guess I’m buoyant as a boat, floated like a butterfly you got me on the ropes.” The words “buoyant” and “floated” refer to his earlier simile to a boat. Along with this, Staples compares him floating to a butterfly and being on the ropes, a reference to the late and great boxer Muhammed Ali.
The album is concluded with the record “Freeman.” Staples reflects on his personal success in the music industry and development from his tough youth. A much more optimistic beat is used in this song rather than the previous slowed down regretful sounds in the preceding tracks.
This project marks the end of an official trilogy for Staple’s last 3 albums. It also feels like an end to a period of Staple’s life, with him learning to heal from his tragic past through self reflection.
Overall, the self development by Vince Staples shown in this album is very refreshing in a genre that can feel repetitive. Staples preaches to the youth in these songs, reminding them from a place of personal experience that the glorified “gangster” life brings nothing but pain.
