Vince Staples
American rapper and actor (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vincent Jamal Staples (born 2 July 1993) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He first became known for his appearances on the projects from Odd Future members and affiliates, including Earl Sweatshirt's Earl (2010) and Doris (2013), Mike G.’s Ali (2010) and The Jet Age of Tomorrow's Journey to the 5th Echelon (2010). He signed with Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records prior to the release of his collaborative mixtape with Mac Miller, Stolen Youth (2013). The following year, he signed with No I.D.'s ARTium Recordings, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings, to release his debut extended play, Hell Can Wait (2014), which received critical acclaim and marked his first entry on the Billboard 200.
July 2, 1993
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
- actor
Vince Staples | |
|---|---|
Staples at the 2021 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Vincent Jamal Staples[1] July 2, 1993 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genres | West Coast hip-hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Works | |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | |
| Website | vincestaples |
| Signature | |
 | |
His debut studio album, Summertime '06 (2015), spawned the single Norf Norf, which was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He subsequently released Big Fish Theory (2017), FM! (2018), Vince Staples (2021), and Ramona Park Broke My Heart (2022). His sixth album, Dark Times (2024), marked his final release with Def Jam.[3] Staples' music has been described as West Coast hip-hop, often containing conscious subject matter while production experiments with avant-garde, dance and electronic influences.[4]
Outside of his solo career, Staples is a member of the California-based hip-hop trio Cutthroat Boyz with Aston Matthews and Joey Fatts. He has made several film and television appearances as an actor and a voice artist, including American Dad! (2005–2014), Dope (2015), Mutafukaz (2015), Lazor Wulf (2019–2021), Abbott Elementary (2021–present), and White Men Can't Jump (2023). In 2015, he became the spokesperson and brand ambassador for Sprite.[5][6]
In 2024, Staples created and starred in The Vince Staples Show on Netflix.
Early life and education
Staples was born on 2 July 1993 in Compton, California. The majority of his family are immigrants from Haiti, who first arrived in Eastern Canada and then Louisiana, where they assumed they could get "cheaper land." They did not know about the prevalence of slavery in the United States at that time.[7] Staples' maternal grandfather, Andrew Hutchins, was a young boy when he moved to the country and served in the army to support his family. As a "die-hard" Dodgers fan, he later decided to settle in Compton after learning that the city was the birthplace of Duke Snider. Staple's family, including his parents and siblings, "got adopted into" Compton's "gang culture."[8][9] In a 2016 interview, he said: "There's no better way to put it than: my family came from the streets. My whole family was gang members. I never knew what I wanted to do besides that."[7]
Staples' father was arrested on Christmas when he was in first grade, after which, his mother, Eloise Staples, moved the family to his aunt's Compton back-house. The discounted rent allowed her to enroll Staples in the Optimal Christian Academy, a small, black-owned private school on Palmer and Long Beach Boulevard, which he attended from fourth to eighth grade. In school, he was "enamored" by current affairs and politics, winning awards for his writing. He was a "quiet, straight-A student with a photographic memory" and a "skate kid" who played football, baseball and basketball.[7] He participated in Snoop Dogg's Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL), and recalled playing against "grown-ass men" from the Carson Colts and Mission Viejo Cowboys. According to him: "Snoop really did it big, we got our names on our jerseys, we had the best cleats, the best helmets, you know Snoop Dogg really loved football."[10]
Growing up, Staples spent a "significant time" on the Eastside, Long Beach with Hutchins, who was, by then, a retired truck driver and construction worker.[7] In middle school, he started spending more time in Long beach, California with his elder cousin, Joey Fatts, and joined the 2N Gangsta Crips, a prominent street gang.[11] After graduating from Optimal, Staples attended the majority-white Mayfair High School in Lakewood. As a freshman, he was caught with a stolen phone, and the school authorities used the incident as "a pretext to target a black kid with gang ties" despite multiple witnesses, including the owner of phone, vouching for his innocence. When his mom picked him up, she was shown a file, with Staples' picture on top, that referred to him as an "active gang leader."[7] He was charged with "multiple felonies, including aggravated assault, threatening a witness, and armed robbery." However, the school and the law enforcement officials agreed to drop all charges if he left Mayfair.[7] Shortly after, his mother sent sent him to live with one of his sisters in Atlanta for a "cooling-off period."[12] He attended Westlake High School in Fulton County, Georgia for eight months. By the time he returned to Long Beach, his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Over the next two years, Staples attended several schools including Jordan High School in Long Beach, Esperanza High School in Anaheim, and Kennedy High School, among others.[13] He eventually dropped out and began couch surfing between the homes of his friends and extended family.[11] He briefly lived with his friend's family on Poppy Street, located in the Ramona Park neighborhood of North Long Beach.[7]
Career
2009–2013: Beginnings and Stolen Youth
In 2010, Staples befriended musician Dijon Samo, who introduced him to Odd Future's Syd tha Kyd. Although he had been "rapping for fun" until now, the Odd Future studio offered him with "a safe space with a couch to crash on." He quickly bonded with Syd, her brother Travis "Taco" Bennet, and Odd Future members Mike G. and Earl Sweatshirt. He recorded epaR with Sweatshirt for the latter's mixtape Earl released in March 2010, a song that contributed to the Odd Future's "early hype." Both Staples and Sweatshirt disavowed the song later for "its depictions of rape."[7] Staples has also clarified that he wasn't a member, but an affiliate, of the Odd Future.[14] Complex named Earl as the 24th-best album of 2010.[15] Shortly after, Sweatshirt abruptly disappeared from the country, having absconded to Samoa at the behest of his mother. By the end of 2011, Odd Future had declined in popularity.[7]
After meeting B. Symth through Om'Mas Keith of Sa-Ra, who encouraged him take music more seriously, Staples released his debut mixtape Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 on 30 December 2011.[7] In 2012, after Sweatshirt returned from the South Pacific, he introduced Staples to Mac Miller, whose house "emerged as a West Coast rap camp." Miller handed Staples the beats that he had been working on, and eventually produced the latter's 2013 mixtape Stolen Youth. The mixtape featured guest appearances from fellow American rappers Miller (under the alias Larry Fishermen), Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Da$H, Hardo, and Cutthroat Boyz's Joey Fatts.[16] He also toured as a supporting act on Miller's The Space Migration Tour. Around the same time, Smyth helped Staples negotiate a record deal with Def Jam Recordings, allowing him to move away from Poppy Street.[7]
In October 2012, Stapes released a collaborative mixtape with Michael Uzowuru, Winter in Prague, which was produced by Uzowuru.[17] In 2013, he featured thrice on Sweatshirt's debut studio album Doris, including the single Hive.[17]
2014–2015: Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2, Hell Can Wait, and Summertime '06
.jpg)
On 13 March 2014, Staples released his fourth mixtape called Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2.[18] The mixtape features the production from Earl Sweatshirt, Michael Uzowuru, Childish Major, No ID, Evidence, DJ Babu, and Scoop DeVille; as well as guest appearances from singer-songwriters Jhené Aiko and James Fauntleroy.[13][19] On 2 March 2014, he joined Schoolboy Q and Isaiah Rashad on the tour to support the release of Schoolboy Q's album Oxymoron.[20]
On 15 August 2014, Staples released Blue Suede on iTunes accompanied by a music video on YouTube.[21][22][23] In the next two months, he released Hands Up and the EP Hell Can Wait. [24] The EP was produced by No I.D., Infamous, and Hagler, and included guest appearances from Aston Matthews and Teyana Taylor.[25]
On 4 May 2015, Staples released the first single Señorita from his debut album Summertime '06.[26] On 15 June 2015, he released the second single, Get Paid, featuring Desi Mo. On 22 June 2015, he released the third and final single, Norf Norf.[27] Summertime '06 was released on 30 June 2015 and debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard 200.[28][29][30] Jayson Green of Pitchfork rated the album 8.8 on a scale of 10, calling it "breathtakingly focused, a marathon that feels like a sprint."[31] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said: "[The album] is a major triumph disguised as a minor one—60 minutes of lean, inventive, important rap music that never pats itself on the back for being any of those things."[32]
In September 2015, Staples opened for the East coast tour of ASAP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator.[33] On 18 November 2015, he announced a two-part headlining tour that first ran through December, and then between February and March 2016.[34]
2016–2017: Prima Donna and Big Fish Theory
On 23 February 2016, Staples was announced as part of the line up for the 2016 Osheaga Festival.[35] On 25 August 2016, he released his second EP, the seven-track Prima Donna accompanied by a short film. Later in the year, he joined James Blake on his North American tour. [36][37]
On 3 February 2017, Staples released "BagBak", the first single from his next studio album. A remix of the song was later featured in the trailer for the Marvel Studios film Black Panther.[38] On 23 March 2017, he was featured on the Gorillaz track "Ascension" from their album Humanz. In an interview on Zane Lowe's show Beats 1, he announced his upcoming album would be called Big Fish Theory and released an accompanying single, "Big Fish",[39][40] which was followed by the album's third single, "Rain Come Down" on 8 June 2017, featuring Ty Dolla Sign. The album was released on 23 June 2017 and received with widespread critical acclaim.[41][42]
2018–2021: FM!, and self-titled album
.jpg)
In 2018, Staples set up a GoFundMe page titled "Get the Fuck Off My Dick" seeking $2 million as a response to people criticizing his work; they could pay to have him retire early. However, it was briefly taken down given the low response.[43] The money made from the page was subsequently donated to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library in Long Beach. On October 2, Staples released his third studio album FM!. Produced primarily by Kenny Beats, the album is framed as a radio station takeover, featuring recurring skits hosted by Los Angeles radio host Big Boy.[44] Additionally, Staples contributed the song "Home" to the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, which was originally previewed in the movie's trailer in December 2017.[45]
Between
On 15 November 2017, Staples announced a tour with rapper Tyler, the Creator; they performed together for three months between January and March 2018.[46] He collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer on a remix of the UEFA Champions League Anthem for the FIFA 19 reveal trailer.[47] On 15 December 2018, Staples and Billie Eilish released the single &Burn, which later appeared on the reissue of the Eilish's EP Don't Smile at Me.[48] The song was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 2 April 2020.[49]
In 2019, Staples released three singles: So What?, Sheet Music, and Ad 01: Hell Bound, each accompanied by an episode of his YouTube series The Vince Staples Show.[50][51]
In April 2021, Staples announced that he was working on a new self-titled album, Vince Staples, that released in July of the same year. Dylan Green of Pitchfork said that the “album’s reserved musical approach magnifies the blunt scene-setting Vince has used to build his name over the last decade” but noted that despite being “uniform in sound,” it is “far from his most exciting music.”[52] In his review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it “idiosyncratic and really impressive, the sound of someone walking their own path, uncoupled from current trends, shifting and changing as they go.”[53]
2022–present: Ramona Park Broke My Heart, The Vince Staples Show, and Dark Times
On 8 April 2022, Staples released his fifth studio album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart, through Motown Records. The album delves into his relationship with the Long Beach neighborhood, Ramona Park, blending personal narratives with broader social commentary. The album garnered acclaim for its lyrical depth and production quality.[54][55] Pitchfork's Matthew Ismael Ruiz praised the album for being a "richly detailed, deadpan elegy for [Staples'] stolen youth" that "diverges from the innovation and technical proficiency of earlier records, in favor of introspection and contemplation." He noted that Staples' use of "detail-rich raps" to paint "unvarnished portraits" of growing up in Long Beach has the potential to connect with people around the world "not because those experiences feel shared, but because they feel honest, and worn with pride."[56] In his review for Vulture, music critic Craig Jenkins said: "[The album] is a careful balancing act, a love letter to street life that doesn't slouch on honest discussion of the trouble that can come with gang affiliations, a modern West Coast rap album trying to wrap its arms around three decades of hip-hop history, a Universal Music Group release that feels calculatedly commercial without ever sounding gimmicky or airheaded."[57]
In May 2022, Staples announced the release of Limbo Beach, an original graphic novel that follows a group of young adults who develop unique superpowers after being stranded on an island. The novel was published by Z2 Comics, who approached and introduced Staples to his co-authors—Bryan Edward Hill (Batman and the Outsiders, Titans), Chris Robinson (Children of the Atom), and Buster Moody (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).[58]
Staples had a recurring role on the second season of Quinta Brunson's Abbott Elementary (2021–present).[59] He also starred in White Men Can't Jump (2023), a remake of the 1992 film of the same name, which received mixed reviews.[60] In March 2023, he was featured on Tyler, The Creator's Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale on the track "Stuntman."[61]
On 15 February 2024, Staples released The Vince Staples Show, a Netflix limited series that James Poniewozik of The New York Times called "an impressionistic alt-comedy built around the deadpan sensibility of its star." He commended the five-episode "hard-to-pin-down show" for being "mordantly funny, visually arresting and an entertaining enigma."[62] The Guardian's Leila Latif praised the "semi-autobiographical sitcom," in which Staples plays a fictionalized version of himself, for being "a wonderfully surreal exercise in Black creativity." She found him to be an "endlessly compelling presence" in a show that delves into "series issues" such as mass incarceration and gun violence. "But these issues," she writes, "only arise as they serve Vince's story, rather than his journey being used as a tool to preach about struggles facing the entire African American community."[63] On 30 May 2024, Staples confirmed that Netflix had renewed the series for a second season.[64]
In May 2024, Staples released his album Dark Times, marking his final project with Def Jam. The album was met with critical acclaim.[65][66] On 1 August 2024, he was featured on JPEGMAFIA's 5th studio album titled, "I Lay Down My Life for You" on the song, "New Black History". On August 8, 2025, he was featured on the track, "VCRs", on JID's fourth studio album God Does Like Ugly.
The second season of The Vince Staples Show premiered on 6 November 2025, with six new episodes.[67]
Personal life
Staples lived with his ex-girlfriend in Orange County, California; the couple had an on-and-off relationship since middle school. After their breakup in September 2015, he moved to Downtown Los Angeles.[7][68]
Staples supports the Los Angeles Clippers.[69] As an "an avid fan" of modern art, he referenced the French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois and postmodern visual satirist Richard Prince in his songs Rain Come Down and Homage.[70][71]
Staples follows a straight edge lifestyle and does not drink alcohol or take illicit drugs.[72][73][74]
Religious beliefs and political views
Staples does not publicly describe himself as an atheist, but has dismissed mainstream religious beliefs, saying: "I believe that people need what they need to survive, but do I think there's a floating man with a blowout? No. Maybe a beaver. Maybe an aardvark. Maybe a body of water."[75][76]
Philanthropy
Staples has been outspoken about the dangers of the gang lifestyle.[13] On 14 June 2016, he donated an undisclosed amount to YMCA program in North Long Beach. Through the program, the youth organization aimed to teach graphic design, 3D printing, product design, music production and filmmaking to 20 eighth and ninth graders at the Hamilton Middle School.[77]
Endorsement deals and ventures
Since 2015, Staples has appeared in advertisements for Sprite and has promoted the brand on his Twitter.[78] He was part of Alexander Wang's 2016 fall campaign alongside Skrillex, Alice Glass, Tinashe, Mø, Big Sean and Metro Boomin’.[79]
In 2018, he partnered with Converse on a three-piece capsule collection, featuring remakes of two Chuck Taylor silhouettes with graphics from Staples’ album Big Fish Theory (2017).[80]
In 2021, Staples starred in a campaign film announcing the collaboration between Beats and Union, a Los Angeles-based streetwear store. "Union has always championed local and Black art, music and fashion, and their L.A. store on La Brea is one of my favorite places to shop,” he explained, "Beats and Union are family, so this campaign felt really authentic to be a part of."[81] In February 2022, he appeared in a video vignette alongside Naomi Osaka to promote Beats’ new Fit Pro earbuds.[82]
In June 2022, Staples was seen in the launch campaign for Acura Integra.[83] He modelled for Calvin Klein’s 2023 spring collection alongside Solange, Burna Boy, and Dominic Fike.[84] He made a guest appearance in the lookbook for Fear of God’s 2024 summer collection.[85]
In 2025, Staples appeared in a series of short films, part of the “Everyone’s a Chuck” campaign, to announce a collaboration between Converse and Coca Cola.[86]
Discography
Albums
- Summertime '06 (2015)
- Big Fish Theory (2017)
- FM! (2018)
- Vince Staples (2021)
- Ramona Park Broke My Heart (2022)
- Dark Times (2024)
Concert tours
Headlining
- Hell Can Wait Tour (2014)
- Circa '06 Tour (2015–16)
- The Life Aquatic Tour (2016–17)
- Smile, You're On Camera (2019)
- Black in America Tour (2024)
Supporting
- Mac Miller - Space Migration Tour (2013)
- Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron (Schoolboy Q album) Tour (2014) [87]
- Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$ Tour (2014)
- A$AP Rocky & Tyler, the Creator - Rocky and Tyler Tour (2015)
- Flume - Australian Tour (2016)
- Gorillaz - Humanz Tour (2017)
- Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy Tour (2018)
- Childish Gambino - This Is America Tour (2018)
- Tyler, the Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost Tour (2022)
Filmography
| Film | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role |
| 2015 | Dope | Dom's Crew Member 1 |
| 2016 | Prima Donna (short film) | Himself |
| 2018 | MFKZ | Vinz (voice) |
| 2019 | Gorillaz: Reject False Icons | Himself |
| 2023 | White Men Can't Jump | Speedy |
| Television | ||
| 2018 | American Dad! | Battle rapper (voice) |
| 2019–2021 | Lazor Wulf | Lazor Wulf (voice) |
| 2020 | Insecure | Himself |
| 2022–2023 | Abbott Elementary | Maurice |
| 2024–2025 | The Vince Staples Show | Himself |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | BET Hip Hop Awards[88] | Impact Track | "Kingdom" (with Common) |
Won |
| 2016 | Black Reel Awards[89] | Best Original or Adapted Song | "Waiting for My Moment" from Creed (with Donald Glover and Jhené Aiko) |
Nominated |
| Berlin Music Video Awards | Best Cinematography | LIFT ME UP | Nominated | |
| Best Concept | SEÑORITA | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | VINCE STAPLES | Nominated |
