Overview
- Vince Staples, who released “Blackberry Marmalade” on Saturday, paired the track with a video shot from a mass shooter’s point of view.
- The video depicts the gunman killing diners, including Staples, before taking his own life, and it closes with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
- The track leans into punk and alternative rock with a driving bassline, drawing fan comparisons to Paris Texas and Genesis Owusu.
- The opening lyrics invoke Kanye West by name, including the line, “Empires built on bloodstained ground/ Kanye West, I pray they all fall down.”
- The release follows Staples’ acclaimed 2024 album Dark Times and the cancellation of his Netflix series earlier this year, and outlets suggest it could preview a new album though none is announced.