Biography

Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is part of the hip hop trio Cutthroat Boyz alongside fellow Californian rappers A$ton Matthews and Joey Fatts. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, in particular Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt. He is currently signed to Blacksmith Records, ARTium Recordings and Def Jam Recordings.

Staples rose to prominence with appearances on albums by Odd Future members and his collaborative mixtape titled Stolen Youth with Mac Miller, who produced the project. In October 2014, he released his debut EP Hell Can Wait, which included the singles "Hands Up" and "Blue Suede". His debut album, Summertime '06, was released on June 30, 2015, to critical acclaim. He was also featured as a part of the XXL 2015 Freshman Class.

Early life and education

Staples was born in the Ramona Park neighborhood in Long Beach, California. Staples is the youngest of five siblings, two brothers and three sisters. He said that he grew up very poor.

Staples attended Optimal Christian Academy from 4th to 8th grade, which he said was an influential and positive experience.During high school, Staples' 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 Bellflower, Opportunity High School home schooling, Esperanza High School in Anaheim, and Kennedy High School, among others.

Staples has been upfront about the fact that he was involved in gangs during his childhood.

Career

2009–13: Beginnings and Stolen Youth

Staples was discovered by Dijon "LaVish" Samo, and Chuck Wun, alongside with his cousin Campbell Emerson. LaVish took Staples to the trip to Los Angeles, California, where he befriended the Odd Future collective's members Syd tha Kyd, Mike G, and Earl Sweatshirt. Although he had not intended to be a rapper, he made some guest appearances on their songs, most notably "epaR" that was taken from Earl Sweatshirt's self-titled debut mixtape. After him featuring some other tracks, he has decided to pursue a career in rap, when he released his official debut mixtape, called Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 on December 30, 2011, via applebird.com. In October 2012, he released a mixtape, titled Winter In Prague, which was produced entirely by Michael Uzowuru.

In 2012, Vince reconnected with Earl Sweatshirt, when he returned from Samoa and was introduced by him to a fellow American rapper Mac Miller, who later produced his mixtape Stolen Youth (2013) under the alias Larry Fisherman. The mixtape features guest appearances from Mac Miller, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Da$H, Hardo, and Staples' Cutthroat Boyz co-member, Joey Fatts. Following Stolen Youth's release, he toured as a supporting act on Mac Miller's The Space Migration Tour. After making three appearances on Earl Sweatshirt'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.

2014–15: Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2, Hell Can Wait, and Summertime '06'

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 ID, Evidence, DJ Babu, and Scoop DeVille; as well as guest appearances from singer-songwriters Jhené Aikoand James Fauntleroy. On March 2, 2014, Staples began touring in the United States with a fellow American rappers Schoolboy Q and Isaiah Rashad on the Oxymoron World Tour, to support the release of Schoolboy Q's album Oxymoron.

On August 15, 2014, Staples released a music video for "Blue Suede". The track was also made available on iTunes. On September 9, 2014, Vince released another new song titled "Hands Up" via iTunes. He released the EP Hell Can Wait on October 7, 2014. Prior to the EP's release Staples' revealed during an interview with XXL Magazine that it would include guest appearances from A$ton Matthews and Teyana Taylor, along with productions from No I.D., Infamous, and Hagler.

On May 4, 2015, Staples released as the first single from his debut album, called "Señorita". He later announced it that his debut album would be titled Summertime '06, which was released on June 30, 2015. On June 15, Staples released the second single from his debut album, "Get Paid" featuring Desi Mo. On June 22, he released the album's third and final single, "Norf Norf".

2016–present: Prima Donna and Big Fish Theory

On February 23, 2016, Staples was announced as part of the line up for the 2016 Osheaga Music Festival. On August 25, 2016, Staples released the seven-track EP Prima Donna, featuring guest appearances from A$AP Rocky and Kilo Kish; as well as it accompanied by a short film. On January 31, 2017, he announced a single, called BagBakwould be released on February 3, 2017. On March 23, 2017, he was featured on the Gorillaz track, called "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", which was followed by a third single, "Rain Come Down" on June 8, 2017, which featured vocals from Ty Dolla Sign. The album was released on June 23, 2017 and received with widespread critical acclaim.

Philanthropy

On June 14, 2016, Staples announced his assistance in a YMCA program that will benefit young people in North Long Beach. The Youth Institute would teach graphic design, 3D printing, product design, music production and filmmaking to 20 eighth and ninth graders at Hamilton Middle School. Staples donated an undisclosed amount to the program.

Personal life

Staples has stated that he does not drink nor do drugs. He lives in Southern California.

Discography

Main article: Vince Staples discography

• Summertime '06 (2015)
• Big Fish Theory (2017)

Read More on Wikipedia