Vince Staples Drops Subversive Cotton Visual

8 July 2026 46

Long Beach rapper Vince Staples has returned with Cry Baby, a brilliant seventh album packed with post punk energy. Released this June via Loma Vista, this independent era highlights an artist fully in control. Crucially, when Vince Staples dropped the striking new music video for his track Cotton, it instantly became the project’s most powerful statement.

Have a watch of Staples visual to Cotton, taken from album Cry Baby, below.

Watching the visual reveals a provocative montage of Black American history projected onto a bullet riddled US flag. Meanwhile, the soulful lyrics brilliantly examine how the entertainment industry routinely commodifies trauma.

Backed by loping, guitar driven production, the artistic growth of Vince Staples truly shines on Cotton, making the record feel incredibly heavy yet deeply necessary.