On Sunday (May 19), Vince Staples announced his new album, Dark Times, set to hit streaming platforms this Friday (May 24). It will be his final project with Def Jam Recordings. The Long Beach rapper also dropped his latest single, “Shame On The Devil,” accompanied by a split-screen music video featuring a close-up of himself on one side and shadows cast in a room on the other.

Staples described “Shame On The Devil” as a reflection of his evolution as an artist. “It’s me mastering some things I’ve tried before that I wasn’t great at in the beginning. It’s a testament to musical growth, song structure — all the good stuff,” he explained via press release.

Dark Times will follow 2022’s RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART, which spanned 16 tracks. The second-mentioned body of work included features from Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Baby, and DJ Mustard, as well as surefire cuts like “AYE! (FREE THE HOMIES)” and “MAGIC.” After putting out the LP, Staples teamed up with Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist for the 2023 song “The Caliphate.” He also worked with Ghost Kidz on “Goin’ Off” that year.

Def Jam played a crucial role in Staples’ career, beginning with the release of Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 in 2014. His acclaimed studio debut, Summertime ’06, followed in 2015. The musician shared three more projects with the record label — Prima Donna, Big Fish Theory, and FM! — before inking a deal with Blacksmith, founded by manager Corey Smyth, in partnership with Motown Records.

Starting with Big Fish Theory and continuing through Dark Times, Staples’ more recent projects have been co-released with Blacksmith.

Outside of music, the artist debuted his satirical Netflix comedy series, “The Vince Staples Show,” in February. The five-episode series saw the “Norf Norf” creator as a semi-fictionalized version of himself and featured Vanessa Bell Calloway and Andrea Ellsworth.