Vince Staples Tickets

“I’ve never wanted no type of attention in my life, ever,” Vince Staples has gone on the record as saying. The rule for his career, he once told Vogue Magazine, is “don’t go diamond”. He’s a reluctant celebrity, but for a rapper as naturally skilled as Staples, the attention was inevitable. His understated flow combined with his sober yet incisive lyrics have made him one of the most acclaimed rappers of his generation. Even if he’d rather you didn’t, Vince Staples is a name you need to know.

Born 1995 in Compton, California, Staples grew up down the road in Long Beach. He was raised in gang culture and poverty, an upbringing that has fuelled the stark meditations in his lyrics. At first, he had no intentions of being a rapper; he planned on going to film school, before he dropped out of high school. At 20, he befriended Earl Sweatshirt, Syd and Mike G, members of the hip hop collective Odd Future, and began to collaborate with them. Staples released his debut mixtape, Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1, in 2011, followed by a collaborative with producer Michael “Uzi” Uzowuru, Winter In Prague, in 2012.

Soon, Sweatshirt introduced Staples to Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller. The pair released the collaborative mixtape Stolen Youth in 2013, followed by Staples supporting Miller on the Space Migration tour. The mixtape received critical acclaim, and led to Staples’ signing to Def Jam Recordings. In 2014, Staples released his fourth mixtape, Shyne Coldchain II, and his debut EP, Hell Can Wait. Staples’ debut studio album, Summertime ’06, followed in 2015 – a brooding and bleak unpacking of his life in Long Beach which XXL named “one of the best rap debuts of the year”. The album featured in Best of 2015 lists from The Guardian and Pitchfork, as well as being named one of the 200 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.

In 2016, Staples released the mixtape Prima Donna, and in 2017 came his second album, Big Fish Theory. For this record he employed a more electronic feel, inspired by club music and featuring production from Bon Iver, Flume and SOPHIE, alongside features from Kendrick Lamar, Damon Albarn and A$AP Rocky. The album continued Staples’ streak of critical acclaim, with NME declaring it a “game-changer” in a five-star review. Throughout 2017 and 2018, Staples toured with Gorillaz, Childish Gambino and Tyler, the Creator, as well as appearing at numerous festivals including Coachella, Primavera Sound and Parklife.

In 2018, Staples released his third album, FM!, a more irreverent take on his sound which The Ringer described as “smart, and biting, and fun, and challenging”. Throughout 2019, he headlined the Smile, You’re On Camera tour through North America with JPEGMAFIA, as well as announcing his signing to Motown Records. In 2021, he returned to a more introspective and minimalist feel with his self-titled album. The album received still more universal acclaim, and appeared on several lists of the Best Albums of 2021, including being named the year’s second best album by Time Magazine. The album was followed in 2022 by Staples’ fifth full-length, Ramona Park Broke My Heart, on which he delved more vulnerably than ever into the lessons and traumas of his past. Exclaim! named it “the quintessential Vince Staples album” in a 9/10 review.

In 2024, Staples launched his Netflix television series The Vince Staples Show, which The Guardian rated five stars and described as “joyously weird”. In June 2024, Staples will perform a trio of UK shows on the Black In Europa tour.