Dark Times (album)
Dark Times is the sixth studio album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on May 24, 2024, through Blacksmith Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album runs 35 minutes and is framed as West Coast hip-hop. It is Staples’ first Def Jam release since FM! (2018) and his final project with the label.
Production mainly comes from Michael Uzowuru and LeKen Taylor, with contributions from Cardo, Jay Versace, Saint Mino, and other producers. The album contains no guest vocalists, though Kilo Kish, Santigold, Baby Rose, and Maddy Davis contributed in other ways.
The lead single, “Shame on the Devil,” was released on May 20, 2024. To promote the album, Staples also toured on the Black in Europa and Black in America campaigns.
Dark Times received universal acclaim from critics. Metacritic scores it at 82/100 based on 11 reviews, while AnyDecentMusic? lists 7.6/10. Critics praised Staples’s delivery and the album’s intimate, defiant tone, with notes on its precise production and emotional depth.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:17 (CET).