Vince Staples has persistently demonstrated a eager eye for storytelling, whether or not by his music, interviews, or social commentary.
The North Lengthy Seaside native has constructed a popularity for pairing uncooked honesty with darkish humor, providing a lens into the realities of fame, neighborhood, and id with out ever dropping his signature deadpan supply. He’s not only a rapper, he’s a cultural observer, one who dissects life’s absurdities with the identical precision he brings to each bar he writes.
Now in its second season, “The Vince Staples Present” finds the rapper-turned-creator doubling down on his distinctive mix of humor and realism.
The Netflix collection, co-created by Staples alongside Ian Edelman and Maurice Williams, follows a semi-fictionalized model of himself as he navigates on a regular basis chaos with a stability of apathy and consciousness. What started as a surreal exploration of fame and id has advanced into a pointy, genre-bending portrait of recent Black life, one which’s as unpredictable, humorous, and grounded as Staples himself.
When discussing his inventive evolution this season, the rapper admits that stepping behind the digicam extra deeply got here with its classes.
Coming off the strike, the staff needed to strip issues down and rebuild with intention. He shares how he “carried a variety of the load this season,” taking up manufacturing, writing, and appearing duties whereas working intently with new inventive groups.
The problem, he says, allowed him to “construct out a brand new world” and experiment with storytelling by a recent lens, one which displays his development as each an artist and collaborator.
His signature dry humor, typically making audiences query what’s actual and what’s not, stays the heartbeat of the collection.
For the performer, it’s a method born from what he didn’t typically see represented rising up.
“There isn’t that a lot dry humor inside the Black comedic area,” he explains, referencing reveals like “The Bernie Mac Present” and “The Chappelle Present” as early inspirations.
By weaving that understated comedic tone into his work, he’s serving to to develop the chances of how Black comedy can sound, really feel, and emotionally resonate. “It simply interprets higher for who I’m,” he notes, a reminder that authenticity doesn’t at all times must shout to make an influence.
Transitioning from music to tv additionally reshaped his understanding of collaboration.
Not like the solitude of recording, this medium demanded belief and teamwork. “If I’m going in a room on my own and file 12 songs, I’ve an album,” he says. “But when I’m going sit in a room on my own with a digicam, I don’t essentially have a present.” The expertise taught him to lean into neighborhood—to know when to step again and when to step ahead—embracing a brand new type of inventive rhythm.
Enjoying a fictional model of himself revealed sudden truths as nicely.
The creator admits he’s “a lot nicer on the present than in actual life,” laughing on the irony of appearing out traits he doesn’t typically specific.
Tapping into feelings like frustration and vulnerability made him extra self-aware on and off digicam.
“You wish to pull from a real area,” he says, describing how even the smallest discomforts, like elevating his voice in a scene, can unlock one thing deeply human.
And whereas chaos at all times appears to orbit him, each in life and on-screen, peace isn’t misplaced within the noise.
To the artist, it’s a quiet alternative and a second between moments.
“Peace is one thing it’s a must to select to seek out,” he displays.
It’s the stillness between takes, the calm in lengthy walks on set, the music that fills the silence.
“These are the moments of peace,” he says.
“You simply should be current sufficient to note them.”