The Vince Staples Show

Netflix has released the first trailer for The Vince Staples Show, depicting a day in the life of the Long Beach rapper. Scenes from the show that it previews include a chase through the Del Amo Swap Meet, a greedy uncle asking for money at a picnic, and a confrontation with a water park mascot. Oh, and Vince gets recognized during a Dead Presidents-inspired bank robbery. The man lives a fascinating life.

The Vince Staples Show, which is billed for release on February 15, continues the series of slice-of-life vignettes from the original YouTube episodes, which find the “Magic” rapper caught up in all sorts of misadventures in and around his hometown. In the original episodes, a trip to the barbershop turns into a gang fight, while Vince seeks refuge and wisdom from his hero Ray J as his angry girlfriend seeks a confrontation.

The show initially debuted in 2019, and in 2022, Netflix announced its partnership with Staples to bring the show to the service. The delay might have been troublesome for some fans, but it did give Staples a chance to raise his public profile and hone his already quite sharp comedy chops. Since then, he’s released a pair of albums that hewed more closely to convention and put him on the Billboard charts, and appeared in a guest role on the Emmy-winning Abbott Elementary, making him more of a household name.

The Vince Staples Show will stream on Netflix on 2/15.

A few years ago, Vince Staples began promoting something called The Vince Staples Show. At first, it seemed as though it was a new musical project he was preparing to release, paired with a series of funny vignettes about life in Long Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles County. The first two episodes included standalone songs “So What” and “Sheet Music” and revolved around a violent trip to the barbershop and a visit with Vince’s hero Ray J.

However, after only two episodes, the project mysteriously vanished; in its place, Staples released two albums — a self-titled album produced by Kenny Beats and Ramona Park Broke My Heart, his most accessible project to date — and appeared in a role on Abbott Elementary, tickling fans’ funny bones and breaking their hearts as Tyler James Williams’ Gregory’s romantic rival for Quinta Brunson’s Janine’s affections. Still, in September of 2022, it was announced that Staples had entered a partnership with Netflix to produce a scripted comedy alongside Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. Ian Edelman, writer/director on How to Make It in America and The After Party, director Calmatic, and Vince’s manager Corey Smith were all listed as producers.

Since then, two major entertainment industry strikes delayed further announcements, and we’ve had yet to hear more about the project. But today, Staples, then Netflix, both posted cryptic but promising tweets, suggesting that the release date may be coming sooner than later — perhaps with the trailer that Staples promised would be coming tomorrow.

A few years back, Vince Staples teased something called The Vince Staples Show, which apparently turned out to be a pair of short films showcasing a pair of singles, “So What?” and “Sheet Music.” Fans thought there’d be a musical project attached — or perhaps even an actual show, considering Vince’s interest in pivoting to acting — but none materialized, although the episodes eventually appeared on a website along with a ton of other Staples video content.

However, a feature on Staples in Los Angeles Times earlier this year noted that The Vince Staples Show had since moved to Netflix, suggesting that the early shorts had been something of a proof-of-concept, and that the show was in the early stages of production. Vince was quoted saying, “We’re working on it. Hopefully, we can make something great, then put it out when the time is right.”

Well, it appears that the time is, indeed, right now, as Deadline reports that Netflix has officially announced the show, which will be a scripted comedy loosely based on Vince’s real life. It’ll be co-produced by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, How to Make It in America and The After Party writer/director Ian Edelman, Maurice Williams (who has experience writing TV with rappers as a writer on Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic), Los Angeles director Calmatic, and Vince’s manager Corey Smith.