Vince Staples, the visible man

Dark Times, represents a new direction in an already singular major-label rap career.'/>

Staples has always lived in a few worlds: art-rap hero, hall-of-fame interviewee, and a homebody whose inner life is none of our business. On Dark Times, his worlds finally converge.

(Image credit: Shaniqwa Jarvis)

* This article was originally published here

Mask off: When rappers bust their own myths

Please Don't Cry functions as a reintroduction to the rapper — long defined by her technique, now revealing some of the real person behind that prowess.'/>

Rapsody and Mach-Hommy, two rap technicians long defined by their skill above all, shake off that armor on a pair of striking new albums that demonstrate wildly different kinds of vulnerability.

(Image credit: Jhalin Knowles)

* This article was originally published here