SANTIGOLD

Who Is The Voice On ‘Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?’ From Vince Staples’ ‘Dark Times’ Album?

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Vince Staples is having a hell of a year. Earlier this year, the Long Beach rapper repped his hometown on Netflix’s The Vince Staples Show, a semi-autobiographical series following him in different scenarios in his day-to-day life. Tonight (May 23), Staples dropped Dark Times — his eighth studio album and his final album on Def Jam.

Like all of Staples’ projects, Dark Times is very cinematic in tone, but this time, Staples’ storytelling is sharper than ever.

The album ends with an outro called “Why Won’t The Sun Come Out?” — an anecdote recited by Staples, but another artist.

Who is the voice on “Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?” from Vince Staples’ Dark Times album?

At the end of Dark Times, fans hear a woman ruminating on creativity, spirituality, love, sexuality, and violence. The woman also details a haunting dream she once had, as Staples faintly repeats the phrase “Why won’t the sun come out?”

The woman in question is New York singer, songwriter, and rapper Santigold. This mark the second time the two have worked together — the first being on “Give It All,” a 2017 collaboration with LA music group, With You.

You can listen to “Why Won’t The Sun Come Out?” above.

Dark Times is out now via Def Jam/Blacksmith. Find more information here.

Santigold Cancels Her 2022 Tour Due To Challenges: ‘The Landscapes We Are Re-Entering Are Not The Same’

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Santigold
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Santigold unveiled her highly anticipated album Spirituals this month, the follow-up to her 2018 mixtape I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions. She was supposed to head out on The Holified Tour, which she announced in June and was set to kick off in October in Atlanta, Georgia and end in November in San Diego, California. However, she canceled the tour today due to the way the pandemic has impacted the realities of touring.

“[For] the past several years we have all been through immense challenges, some physical, some mental, some spiritual, some economic,” she wrote on her website. “And yet, as we have begun to trudge on, much of the toll of that experience has been left untended as we rush back in, attempting to make up for lost time, to reconnect, catch up on bills unpaid, to escape the insanity that had begun to set in. For many of us, the landscapes we are re-entering are not the same.”

She continued, “As a touring musician, I don’t think anyone anticipated the new reality that awaited us. After sitting idle (not being able to do shows) for the past couple years, many of us like everyone else, earning no or little income during that time, every musician that could, rushed back out immediately when it was deemed safe to do shows. We were met with the height of inflation — gas, tour buses, hotels, and flight costs skyrocketed — many of our tried-and-true venues unavailable due to a flooded market of artists trying to book shows in the same cities, and positive test results constantly halting schedules with devastating financial consequences. All of that on top of the already-tapped mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional resources of just having made it through the past few years. Some of us are finding ourselves simply unable to make it work.”

Read the full statement here.

Lizzo, Tierra Whack, Santigold, And More React To Beyoncé’s Shout Outs In ‘Break My Soul (Queens Remix)’

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In the latest remix of Beyoncé‘s “Break My Soul,” the Renaissance hitmaker mashes up the hit single with another classic, Madonna’s “Vogue.” On the bridge of “Break My Soul (Queens Remix), Beyoncé updates Madonna’s iconic tribute to the icons of the past, shouting out the people who have inspired her in the past and continue to inspire her today.

“Queen mother Madonna, Aaliyah / Rosetta Tharpe / Santigold / Bessie Smith / Nina Simone / Betty Davis / Solange Knowles / Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl’/ Lauryn Hill / Roberta Flack / Toni, Janet, Tierra Whack / Missy, Diana, Grace Jones / Aretha, Anita, Grace Jones / Helen Folasade Adu / Jilly from Philly, I love you, boo / Don’t just stand there, get into it / Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it,” she says on the Bridge

She later shouts out Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Michelle Williams, Chlöe and Halle Bailey, Alicia Keys, and Whitney Houston, saying, “Michelle, Chlöe, Halle, Aaliyah / Alicia, Whitney, Riri, Nicki.”

Since the remix’s release on Friday, several of the women have reacted to their name checks with glee.

“I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN ME NOW BEYONCÉ BELIEVE IN ME TOO,” said Lizzo in a tweet, with a video embedded of her sharing a story, saying, “I remember when I was telling my friend’s mom what my major in college was going to be, and I told her I was going to major in music performance, and she laughed in my face, she said, ‘Music performance? Like Beyoncé?’ and she laughed in my face. I only have one thing to say.” Lizzo then proceeded to play a portion of the bridge.

Santigold also took to Twitter, saying, “Thanks to @beyonce Queen Bey for shouting me out amongst these greats, and even more for takin’ it back! Letting the people KNOW about all these Black women, powerful powerful spirits, many of whom never received the acknowledgment they deserved!”

Jill Scott, to whom Bey refers as “Jilly From Philly,” reacted saying, “In a fast ass world, I register greatness gently, deliberately slower than admittedly most. I FEEL a thing & I can wholeheartedly say THIS IS MY FAVORITE LIFE. I LOVE YOU @Beyonce.”

On Instagram, Tierra Whack, who previously collaborated with Bey on The Gift companion album for the 2019 remake of Disney’s The Lion King, shared a clip of the song, captioning the video, “MY GOOD SIS @beyonce GON ALWAYS SHOW LOVE!”

Check out “Break My Soul (Queens Remix)” above.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Santigold Drops A Super Quick Video For The Compelling New Single ‘Nothing’

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The last album we got from Santigold was her third, 2016’s 99¢. Now, though, a new one is on the way, as Spirituals was announced a month ago for release this September. Today, she’s offered another tease of it with the single “Nothing,” which you can check out if you have a spare literal minute, as the clip runs just short of 60 seconds in length. The actual song itself runs closer to three minutes and is some dynamic alt-pop.

In a statement, Santigold says of the song:

“It’s a song for anyone who has not been seen, and for me it was an opportunity to explore how that feels. I wrote Nothing in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests, and in writing the lyrics I was able to release a heaviness that I did not know I was carrying. Being Black and being a woman, particularly one who has chosen the creative path that I have chosen, I have always felt invisible to a degree. People see only what they think they know, or what they think I should be. Or sometimes, they see nothing at all. This song is about the burden of existing beneath a veil of nothingness. And the strength it requires just to be, despite it.”

She also says of the video:

“This video vignette was inspired by a Wangechi Mutu image called Snake Eater. I had seen the image years ago and when I was thinking up visual ideas for this song, this piece came to mind. I loved the idea of a being that is woman but also beyond human in some way, and even unclassifiable. A being for whom there is no name, no category, who is totally unique, and fierce. I wanted to become this type of creature in this video because I don’t believe we have to know how to name or define what we’re seeing to accept that it exists, that it’s beautiful and powerful and worthy of being exactly what it is. How exciting to encounter a being so magnificent that it is beyond our imaginations. How exciting to find that that beast is living within you and to set it free.”

Watch the “Nothing” video and listen to the full song above.

Spirituals is out 9/9 via Little Jerk. Pre-order it here.

Santigold Announces Her New Album, ‘Spirituals,’ And Drops A New Video For ‘Ain’t Ready’

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Santigold will return this fall with her new album, Spirituals. The project will arrive via her label, Little Jerk, and feature collaborators like Rostam, Boys Noize, Dre Skull, P2J, Nick Zinner, SBTRKT, JakeOne, Illangelo, Doc McKinney, Psymun, Ricky Blaze, Lido, Ray Brady, and Ryan Olson.

“Recording this album was a way back to myself after being stuck in survival mode. It wasn’t until I made the space to create that I realized I wasn’t only creating music but a lifeline,” said Santigold in a statement. “California was on fire, we were hiding from a plague, the social justice protests were unfolding. I’d never written lyrics faster in my life. After having total writer’s block, they started pouring out. I decided to create the future, to look towards where we are going, to create beauty and pull towards that beauty. I need that for myself, but it’s also there for whoever else needs it.”

Her latest single, “Ain’t Ready” is a collaboration with producers Illangelo, Dre Skull, and SBTRKT. The song’s music video, directed by Frank Ockenfels, sees Santi in an interrogation room, interrogating herself.

Speaking on the song’s creation, Santigold said, “It was one of those songs where as soon as I opened my mouth the whole melody just poured out. There were no words but all the emotion was there. To me, the song sounded full of struggle and perseverance. It sounded like a battle, and I wanted the production to sound tough, to mirror that grit. I struggled to find the right lyrics at first, but when I got them right, and I started singing them one night in my studio alone, I cried. This song was my own battle song. It’s about taking the hits that life brings and getting back up. It’s about change and moving forward. It’s about faith and vision. And it’s about stepping into your own power.”

Check out “Ain’t Ready” above and the Spirituals album art and tracklist below.

santigold spirituals 2022
Courtesy of Little Jerk

1. “My Horror”
2. “Nothing”
3. “High Priestess”
4. “Ushers Of The New World”
5. “Witness”
6. “Shake”
7. “The Lasty”
8. “No Paradise”
9. “Ain’t Ready”
10. “Fall First”

Spirituals is out 9/9 via Little Jerk.

Santigold Becomes A Monarch Of Lights In Her New ‘High Priestess’ Video

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Santigold is back and at the height of her power. On her new track, “High Priestess,” Santigold takes her spot on the throne, commanding others to bow down.

Eclectic as always in her craft, “High Priestess” takes inspiration from rock and hip-hop, creating an electrifying sound inimitable by others. The track marks her first proper release since her 2018 dancehall-inspired mixtape, I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions and was recorded remotely during the pandemic.

“I had started working on this beat and I didn’t have anything in mind for a topic, I just knew I wanted to do a sort of rap punk song (as dangerous as that sounds),” Said Santigold in a statement. “My buddy Ray Brady and I started working on something, trying to add in all the elements that made sense, kicks, subs, new wave synths. Boys Noize ended up bringing something super cool that really built the song and made me get even more excited about it. It was coming along quickly, until it wasn’t. The punk rock energy, the angst, that I wanted to come across wasn’t quite there. I tried adding guitar and a live drum kit, and that was a big red buzzer ‘X.’ I ended up tagging in Psymun (Simon Christensen) who brought in Ryan Olson, and they brought the final missing element. The energy I was looking for couldn’t be the old version of punk rock, it had to be the future sound of punk rock. They brought the angst, the push and pull that was missing, but it was very fresh sounding and totally unexpected. It all came together in a way I could never have imagined when we started, but it was exactly what I set out to make.”

In the song’s accompanying visual, directed by Frank Ockenfels, Santigold dances on the sidewalk of a highway at night, lit up in large clothing and lighting fixtures.

Check out “High Priestess” above.

Santigold is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.