Hell Can Wait

Background

On August 11, 2014, Staples took to Twitter to announce a new track titled, "Blue Suede." On August 15, 2014, he released a music video for the song. On September 2, 2014, Staples announced the initial release date for the EP, as September 23. Although, it was later delayed, due to sample clearance issues. On September 9, 2014, Staples released the second single from Hell Can Wait, titled "Hands Up". On September 25, the new, and final release date was revealed to be October 7, 2014. On October 1, Staples posted the official track listing.

Critical reception

Hell Can Wait received critical acclaim from music critics. Jay Balfour of HipHopDX wrote "At 24 minutes, there’s a satisfaction in the shortness of Hell Can Wait, partly because it’s so well contained, and partly because it hints at what’s next. These songs are worth the attention he’s drawing, how he’ll sustain it for a full album is worth taking seriously." Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork Media also wrote favorably of the EP, writing "his production values have finally caught up enough to push him past the scrappy sidekick division into the big leagues." Emmanuel C.M. of XXL wrote, "The growth is unmistakable, with each song and new project, fans see his raw talent getting more finely tuned and concentrated." In a positive review, David Jeffries of AllMusic wrote that although the project is too short for the "full artistic picture", there is no filler and went on to praise "Blue Suede" as the highlight of the EP.

Track listing