Vince Staples

Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper, singer and actor from Long Beach, California.

Staples first became known for his association with California-based alternative hip hop collective Odd Future, namely Mike G. and Earl Sweatshirt.

His rise to prominence was supported by his appearances on projects by Odd Future members: Earl, Journey to the 5th Echelon (2010), and Doris (2013).

Meanwhile, Hell Can Wait was met with critical acclaim and included the singles "Hands Up" and "Blue Suede".

Although he had not intended to become a rapper, he made some guest appearances on their songs, most notably "epaR" from Earl Sweatshirt's March 2010 mixtape Earl.

After featuring on some other tracks, he decided to pursue a career in rap.

He released his official debut mixtape, called Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 on December 30, 2011, via applebird.com.

In October 2012, he released a collaborative mixtape with Michael Uzowuru, titled Winter in Prague.

It was produced entirely by Uzowuru.

In 2012, Earl Sweatshirt returned from Samoa and reconnected with Vince.

Earl then introduced him to fellow American rapper Mac Miller.

He signed with Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records prior to releasing his collaborative mixtape with Mac Miller, Stolen Youth (2013).

In June 2013, Miller (under the alias Larry Fisherman) and Staples released a mixtape titled Stolen Youth.

The mixtape features guest appearances from Miller, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Da$H, Hardo, and Staples's Cutthroat Boyz co-member, Joey Fatts.

Following Stolen Youth's release, he toured as a supporting act on Miller's Space Migration Tour.

After making three appearances on Earl's debut studio album Doris, including the single "Hive", the liner notes revealed Staples had recently signed to the hip hop record label Def Jam Recordings.

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 marked his first project to chart on the Billboard 200.

On March 13, 2014, he released his fourth mixtape, called Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2.

The mixtape features the production from Earl Sweatshirt, Michael Uzowuru, Childish Major, No I.D., Evidence, DJ Babu, and Scoop DeVille; as well as guest appearances from singer-songwriters Jhené Aiko and James Fauntleroy.

His debut album, Summertime '06 (2015) was met with similar reception and spawned the platinum-certified single "Norf Norf", forseeing his inclusion as part of the XXL 2015 Freshman Class.

As a voice actor, he performed in the 2015 film Mutafukaz, as well as the animated series American Dad! and Lazor Wulf.

In 2015, he became a spokesperson and brand ambassador for Sprite.

Staples was born in Compton, California, but grew up in North Long Beach, after his mother decided she wanted to move away from Compton due to the high crime rates.

Staples is the youngest of five siblings, two brothers and three sisters.

Staples grew up in poverty.

Staples attended Optimal Christian Academy from 4th to 8th grade, which he said was an influential and positive experience.

During high school, Staples's mom sent him to Atlanta to stay with one of his sisters.

He attended high school there for six months.

After returning to Southern California, Staples attended other high schools: Jordan High School in Long Beach, Mayfair High School in Lakewood, Opportunity High School home schooling, Esperanza High School in Anaheim, and Kennedy High School, among others.

Staples has been upfront regarding his involvement with street gangs during his childhood, and is involved with speaking to the youth in his community about the dangers of the gang lifestyle.

Growing up, Staples participated in sports when given the opportunity.

Most notably, he played in Snoop Dogg's Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL).

Staples recalled playing against the Carson Colts and Mission Viejo Cowboys who he claimed had "grown-ass men on the field."

Staples then went on to state, "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."

Staples was discovered by Dijon "LaVish" Samo and Chuck Wun, alongside his cousin Campbell Emerson.

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.

His follow up albums, Big Fish Theory (2017), FM! (2019), his self-titled fourth studio album (2021), and Ramona Park Broke My Heart (2022) each further diversified his artistry, being met with continued critical acclaim and moderate commercial response.

Staples' music is often described as West Coast hip hop, often containing conscious subject matter while production experiments with avant-garde, dance and electronic influences.

Outside of his solo career, he is a member of the California-based hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz with Aston Matthews and Joey Fatts.

Staples has also acted in the films Dope and White Men Can't Jump, and the television series Abbott Elementary.