Vince Staples

One of contemporary rap’s sharpest talents, Vince Staples channels the tough realities of his upbringing split between Compton and Long Beach into a style that stands apart through inventive beats and thoughtful lyricism. Following several well-received early mixtapes, he delivered his first proper studio album, Summertime ’06, in 2015; the project included the gold-certified single “Norf Norf” and climbed to number three on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart while appearing on numerous prominent year-end lists. He moved swiftly into politically charged territory with the 2016 Prima Donna EP. His profile surged further in 2017 thanks to a contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack, a featured spot on the Gorillaz song “Ascension,” and the single “BagBak,” all of which preceded the well-reviewed sophomore LP Big Fish Theory. Shifting toward concise full-length projects, he issued the compact FM! in 2018 and the self-titled Vince Staples in 2021. The introspective Ramona Park Broke My Heart arrived the following year, succeeded in 2024 by Dark Times.

Staples entered the world in Compton, California, yet spent his formative years in Long Beach, where school, athletics, and neighborhood realities shaped the themes that would later dominate his writing. He first drew attention in the early 2010s through guest appearances on Odd Future-affiliated tracks such as Earl Sweatshirt’s “epaR,” Mike G’s “Moracular World” and Award Tour EP, the Jet Age of Tomorrow’s “Lunchbox,” and Domo Genesis’ “Elimination Chamber,” as well as the 2011 mixtape Shyne Goldchain. In 2012 he dropped Winter in Prague, a free-download project whose beats came entirely from Michael Uzowuru. The moodier, more inward Stolen Youth mixtape followed in 2013, jointly credited to Larry Fisherman—Mac Miller’s alias—and featuring verses from Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Mac Miller, and Cutthroat Boyz partner Joey Fatts; Staples also opened for Miller on the Space Migration tour that year. Additional 2013 guest spots included Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris and Jhené Aiko’s “The Vapors.” Momentum continued in 2014 with the fourth mixtape Shyne Goldchain, Vol. 2, plus key contributions to Common’s Nobody’s Smiling, notably the single “Kingdom” and the deluxe bonus cut “Out on Bond.”

Produced by Clams Casino and No ID, the debut album Summertime ’06 reached stores in 2015 and earned widespread critical notice. Prima Donna, a seven-track EP released the next summer, included A$AP Rocky and Kilo Kish, again charted inside the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop list, and featured production from James Blake alongside an accompanying short film. In 2017 Staples appeared on the Gorillaz album Humanz and released his second studio effort, Big Fish Theory, which drew input from Bon Iver, Kilo Kish, Juicy J, Damon Albarn, Kendrick Lamar, Sophie, Flume, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign, and others; the project landed in the upper reaches of the Billboard 200, Top R&B/hip-hop, and rap albums charts. That same year he joined Gorillaz again on “Ascension” and contributed “Opps” to the chart-topping Black Panther soundtrack.

Fans received an unannounced third album, the taut FM!, in late 2018; guests included Earl Sweatshirt, Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign, Kamaiyah, Kehlani, and additional artists. The set earned broad critical praise and solid commercial placement. A run of singles followed in 2019—“So What? (Episode 01),” “Sheet Music (Episode 02),” and “Hell Bound (Ad 01)”—all tied to his online series The Vince Staples Show, which Netflix later picked up for a full season.

The next album cycle began in 2021 with the singles “Law of Averages” and “Are You with That?” from the self-titled fourth LP, released that July. The record showcased his characteristically incisive writing and fresh production choices while marking his most inward-looking work to date, reaching number 12 on the rap chart and number 21 on the Billboard 200. “Magic,” featuring Mustard, surfaced in February 2022 and appeared on Ramona Park Broke My Heart, an album exploring Staples’ ongoing connection to his Long Beach surroundings. The first season of The Vince Staples Show premiered on Netflix in February 2024. Dark Times, his final Def Jam project, arrived in May of that year and centered more on present-day reflections than on his earlier years.