North Long Beach rapper Vince Staples' career follows a classic hip-hop success-against-all-odds story. A gang-member as a teen, Staples managed to quickly rise to prominence via his deft rapping skills. His close association with LA-based rap collective Odd Future (Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, among others) allowed him the exposure to be heard by high-profile rapper/producer Mac Miller, who produced an album featuring Staples as his collaborator in 2014. Before long, Staples had released his debut, Hell Can Wait, which quickly established him as a no-nonsense, no-frills storyteller of life in the ghetto of North Long Beach. Like Kendrick Lamar and others, Staples' lyrics were honest - mixing boasts with self-doubt - and like Lamar, he quickly gained a following among listeners and acclaim from critics. His release Summertime '06 in 2015 saw Staples' build upon his intial success and resulted in high-profile collaborations with other rappers as well as pop artists such as James Blake.

Staples' rise in prominence doesn't seem to be abating anytime soon. 2017 saw him release his second full-length album, Big Fish Theory, to even more critical acclaim. Tickets for this supporting tour, featuring massive screens that portrayed a fish tank and an arena-like laser show, consistently sold out. Meanwhile, it seems like everytime you listen to a new record, Staples pops up as a guest on a track, and he is just finishing up a tour with Tyler the Creator that has lasted for most of 2018. On top of it all, his song "Bag Bak" recently appeared in the trailer for the mega-hit film Black Panther. There's no question that Vince Staples, despite his apparent disdain for stardom, is on a collision course with it.