Vince Staples

While Vince Staples has a bit of a reputation for being a mischief-maker, the rollout for his upcoming Netflix series The Vince Staples Show has shown that he’s taking this endeavor seriously. After spending the past few weeks heavily promoting the show on his social media accounts and even going out into the streets to proselytize its eventual realease on February 15, he’s making sure that everyone gets a chance to see it — even those without Netflix accounts.

“The streets saying they don’t have @Netflix accounts but don’t you fret,” he wrote on Twitter. “We doing a FREE screening for the trenches of Los Angeles !!! Follow the link to link and build. AND WE GOT POPCORN.”

The screening will take place next Monday, February 12 at 7 pm at Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Ave. The one-screen theater has been a fixture of the community for a very long time (Uproxx attended the premiere of Guapdad 4000’s short film Stoop Kid there a couple of years ago).

The Vince Staples Show has its origins as a series of YouTube shorts the Long Beach rapper used to debut new music. Only two episodes of the original concept were produced before Netflix picked up the miniseries, which follows Vince through a series of day-in-the-life vignettes showcasing his wry humor and the unexpected zaniness of being a semi-famous rapper.

The Vince Staples Show premieres on Netflix on 2/15.

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.