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Dark Times
Hip-Hop · 2024 · 13 tracks · 35m

Dark Times

Vince Staples

A masterfully quiet exit from Def Jam. Vince Staples trades digital sharpness for dusty, jazz-inflected noir and some of his most inward-facing lyricism.

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It's the sound of the smartest guy in the room finally turning the lights off.

A weary, clear-eyed meditation on survival and the weight of the past.

Dark Times · vs · Vince Staples
Low Energy-1.3σ

It runs notably cooler and more held-back than this artist's baseline.

Tracklist · 13 Tracks · 35m
01
Close Your Eyes and Swing
0:31
02
Black&Blue
3:18
03
Government Cheese
2:45
04
Children’s Song
2:12
05
Shame on the Devil
3:25
06
Étouffée
4:28
07
Liars
0:57
08
Justin
2:04
09
"Radio"
2:56
10
Nothing Matters
2:42
11
Little Homies
3:44
12
Freeman
2:34
13
Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?
3:24
Moments Worth Waiting For
The way the bass line on 'Black&Blue' feels like it's dragging through thick water while Vince remains perfectly on beat.
The haunting, slowed-down vocal loop on 'Shame on the Devil' that creates a sense of spiritual vertigo.
The transition into the final track where the production finally allows a sliver of melodic light to break through the gloom.
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