Frustration, experimentation, and a brilliant fusion of Hip-Hop and punk.

Released June 5th 2026

Vince Staples is one of the best voices in Hip-Hop, and anytime he drops, people get excited. For 2026, Vince Staples brings us Cry Baby, an album that stretches the boundaries of what people might have thought he was capable of. Blending Hip-Hop with rock and punk sounds, the project serves as the perfect backdrop for what Vince brings lyrically.

I won’t lie, Rock & Punk music isn’t particularly at the top of my genre list. I like plenty of it, but it doesn’t tend to be what I lean into the most, and blending it with Hip-Hop can be very hit-or-miss for me. So when it was announced that this album would be in that lane, I was nervous and skipped the singles so I could hear everything together. Luckily, Vince Staples is an artist who just makes incredible music, and what he has created here on Cry Baby is true and authentic to the image of Vince that’s been painted for me over the years. This album brings social commentary, reality checks, humor, wit, personal stories, and street tales, all bundled into a project that experiments while keeping its core firmly in Hip-Hop.

“Blackberry Marmalade” starts the album off on a high-energy, fast-paced track that sets the tone. Vince spits lyrics like, “promise me you won’t gun me down” & “America frontin’ on you… and know that behind every smile, they thinkin’ bout killing you.” Vince isn’t pulling these thoughts and concepts out of thin air; he’s speaking from experience and what he—and we all—have seen. The anger and messages on this album are more than justified, and I appreciate Vince for never shying away from the content he brings. “Go! Go! Gorilla” is about police brutality and the inability to look to the police for any protection. It’s not my favorite song sonically, but Vince doesn’t miss with his lyrical content. All across this album, Vince Staples is spitting. The production having more of a genre blend doesn’t stop him from rapping and getting melodic like he always does.

Every song here has a different topic to address. “White Flag,” “The Running Man,” “TV Guide,” “Only In America,” and “Cotton” all hold up a mirror to issues around the USA. “The Big Bad Wolf” is one of my favorite tracks—arguably the most Hip-Hop-sounding song on the project, and one that flips Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” as he raps, “Once upon a time not long ago, cop shot the kid.” Vince didn’t bring this experimental style to sound mainstream or get commercial success; he did it to capture the sound of the frustration he’s feeling and to motivate people to push through the bullshit.

This is an amazing album. Vince Staples brought the lyricism and vibe I love from him and melded it with a sound that I’m not always into, executing it in a way that makes me want to return to it again and again. This is an absolute must-listen album in 2026.

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (9/10)

Standout Tracks: “White Flag,” “The Big Bad Wolf,” “Only In America,” & “Do You Know The Devil”