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It’s just another day being Vince Staples.
The rapper-actor is making his Netflix debut with his first comedy series, The Vince Staples Show, premiering today (Thursday, February 15). The show follows the Long Beach, California, native through the challenges and surprises of his day-to-day life being sort of rich and kind of famous in his hometown. The five-episode series is equal parts comedy and social commentary on a rapper trying to do his best to navigate the dynamics of business, family, and social status. See what he has to say about it and more in our video interview, above.
The 30-year-old has made TV appearances on ABC’s Abbott Elementary and voice acting on Family Guy and American Dad. The first iteration of the show appeared in 2019 on Vevo, YouTube’s music video platform. The short films were used to showcase newly released songs accompanied by storylines that highlighted Staples’ “specific tone of voice” and his approach to “issues” prevalent in his community. Outside of the comedy, capturing the honesty of his city was important for the audience to see in his show.
“No matter what my background is, I’ll always try to make sure that people know that I feel like I grew up in a beautiful, good environment that had a lot to offer. It’s just the choices that you make, as a child or even as an adult kind of shaped the way that you view those things,” Staples explains.
Even with his successful music career, it wasn’t easy for Staples to get to this point. After “10 years in the making” his show idea has finally found a home. Knowing he doesn’t have “the warmest disposition” he’s thankful for people understanding his “intent and supporting his vision” to create this project. A major aspect of Netflix‘s willingness to do it was Black-ish, Grown-ish, and Mix-ish creator Kenya Barris attaching himself to it as executive producer. Staples emphasizes that it’s been a learning experience and having Barris was an essential variable to get the “green light” for production but “you’re not even halfway there,” within the process of the show’s creation.
Luckily, Staples weathered the “perfect storm” of the twists and turns of his career to get to this moment. His persistence and adaptability have led to his first full-length comedy series on one of the biggest streaming platforms for old fans to enjoy and new fans to explore.
The Vince Staples Show, Streaming Now, Netflix