Vince Staples announces official tracklist for upcoming album ‘DARK TIMES’ - All you need to know

Vince Staples has announced his newest album, DARK TIMES, set to be released on Friday, May 24, 2024, on all major digital streaming platforms. The announcement post on his official social media handles confirms the complete tracklist for this album.

It's unclear whether Vince has hidden the featuring artists on his upcoming album. However, based on the content of the post, the album will consist of 12 individual tracks, with DARK TIMES set to be his final album with Def Jam Recordings. The complete tracklist for Vince Staples's newest project is listed below:

1. Close Your Eyes And Swing
2. Black & Blue
3. Government Cheese
4. Children’s Song
5. Shame On The Devil
6. Etouffée
7. Liars / Justin
8. "Radio”
9. Nothing Matters
10. Little Homies
11. Free Man
12. Why Won’t The Sun Come Out?

In the caption, Vince reflects on his initial days working with Def Jam Recordings, which goes back 11 years. He further explains how he's always wished to find clarity in himself and his art, going on to state:

"I was unsure of what to expect from the world of music but deeply aware of what I needed: a change in my surroundings and a clear understanding of self. Ten years and seven projects later, I’ve found that clarity. Now, I share with you my final Def Jam release"

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Everything we know about Vince Staples' upcoming album 'DARK TIMES'

Vince Staples' DARK TIMES is the sixth studio album of his career and follows up on his 2022 project Ramona Park Broke My Heart. With the announcement of the album, Vince unveiled the lead single, Shame On The Devil, along with a music video.

The music video is directed with split-screen visuals depicting Vince on the right while different shadows of people arguing are cast across the left side of the screen.

The single lasts less than a minute and acts as a teaser for the album, instead of a full-length track. It features Vince diving into themes of depression and isolation while floating over a spacy beat produced by SAINT MINO, Tyler Page, Joe Harrison, and Michael Uzowuru. Notable lines from this song include:

"Beef with my closest of friends and made no amends, I'd rather kill him instead / Out of all of the rumors to spread / You pick the one that's gon' get us some fed timе / Corey still calling with deadlines"

Vince's move into a newer deeper aesthetic was well noticed in his satirical Netflix original debut with The Vince Staples Show, released in February. The 5-episode mini-series follows the life of a semi-fictional version of Vince, placing him in the middle of uncanny situations like robbing a bank and fighting children's mascots at an amusement park.

The show also stars Vanessa Bell Calloway, Andrea Ellsworth, Nate Jones, Arturo Castro, Scott MacArthur, and Myles Bullock. During an interview with Rolling Loud, Vince Staples explained the difference between himself and the character he plays, by saying:

"It’s not you reinventing yourself; it’s more so you reinventing your circumstance then applying the measures to your own character. You see it in a lot of great actors. You see it in Clint Eastwood, you see it in Sidney Poitier, you see it in Denzel Washington. They’re always the same person."

He continues to mention how actors like Clint Eastwood and Denzel Washington interject themselves into the characters they're playing, which helps the audiences reimagine the entire story through creatively colored lenses.

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A week ago, Vince Staples confirmed he would be playing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October this year. Tickets for the event are currently on sale on the festival's official website.