Vince Staples is back with a new album, and it’s a sound fans haven’t heard yet from the ever-experimental rapper.
On June 5, Staples released Cry Baby, his first album in two years. The record takes inspiration from post-punk, full of synths, teeth-rattling bass with an unmistakable dark groove, and blown-out vocals.
The album was preceded by singles “Blackberry Marmalade,” “White Flag,” and “Cotton.” “Blackberry Marmalade” was accompanied by a provocative video of a faceless shooter murdering Staples before opening fire on Black patrons at a diner, eventually turning the gun on himself. The video was shot in first-person perspective, a la a shooting game.
Emphasizing continuity for the rollout, “White Flag” shows Staples painting the American flag white, a universal symbol for a truce or surrender. The final video before the album, “Cotton,” shows the flag being used as a projector screen.
Staples isn’t new to experimentation, most notably going into more abrasive hyperpop with 2016’s Big Fish Theory, which featured production from the genre’s late pioneer SOPHIE. Staples addressed the shock of his latest sound upon the release of “Blackberry Marmalade” with an X post that read, “All you #newbooties mad about the sound would’ve hated me in 2013 but that’s before yall was off the porch.”
At the top of the year, Staples’ self-titled Netflix show was canceled after two seasons. Viewership was modest with 1.7 million views.
To commemorate the album, Staples performed the album in full for a live audience at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. You can watch the performance below and stream Cry Baby here.
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