Vince Staples is an American rapper and songwriter from Long Beach, California. Born Vincent Jamal Staples on July 2, 1993, he grew up in a tough neighborhood that shapes much of his music’s blunt social commentary. He began releasing music as a teenager and earned early attention with the Shyne Coldchain mixtape series (Vol. 1 in 2011, Vol. 2 in 2014). Staples rose to prominence with his 2015 debut studio album Summertime ’06, a double album celebrated for its vivid storytelling and fearless critique of fame, class, and urban life. He has since released several acclaimed projects, including Big Fish Theory (2017) and FM! (2018), continuing to fuse experimental production with sparse, incisive lyrics. Renowned for his precise delivery and thoughtful, often provocative takes on contemporary issues, Staples is widely regarded as one of the West Coast’s most distinctive voices in hip hop.