LaVish took Staples on a trip to Los Angeles, where he befriended the Odd Future collective's members Syd tha Kyd, Mike G, and Earl Sweatshirt.

on Def Jam, Staples signed a new deal with the Motown record label, releasing his eponymous fourth album and Ramona Park Broke My Heart respectively in 2021 and 2022.

[5] On May 19, 2024, Staples announced the album's title, cover and tracklist via X and Instagram, while also previewing a snippet of the lead single "Shame on the Devil", which would be released the following day, with vocals from Baby Rose.

[6] He headlined the Black in America tour alongside Baby Rose in support of the album, starting in Atlanta on October 5, 2024 and concluding in Los Angeles on November 6, 2024.

"[10] Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Amen commented, "If Staples' self-titled introduced us to the artist's ability to interrogate a limbo, Dark Times is more detailed and specific in its mission and references; as a result, he seems less guarded, more vulnerable".

"[19] Peter Berry of Variety described the album as "equal parts bleak and merciful" and "a lucid snapshot of melancholy" with "swirling dreary beats with even more overcast thoughts" that "presents a meticulous portrait of someone with just enough reason to wait for sunrise.