Recording artist Vince Staples has come a long way from his trying upbringing in Long Beach, California’s Ramona Park neighborhood. Releasing his critically acclaimed debut Summertime ’06 album in 2015, the then twenty-year-old saw his life turned right side up, going from being nearly trapped to having what appeared to be complete freedom.   Yet, as his most recent projects suggest, appearances can be deceiving. The LPs delves into the confusion of sudden fame and acclimating to a lifestyle antithetical to the one he’d known in Long Beach – one wrought with gang violence and poverty. It’s a fundamental narrative in hip hop, but rappers have always found a new way to breathe life into it. Staples brings forth a vision that’s brutal, elegant, playful, and despondent in one breath.   Such is the nature of his music, as self and socially aware as it is comical. With FM!, Big Fish Theory, Prima Donna and Summertime ’06 behind him, Staples has set the tone for what’s yet to come. A standout rapper in today’s hip hop world, he keeps his sound deeply tied to his west coast roots and his message one that knows no boundaries.   In a world of full of painful departures, his art gives listeners reason to believe that, somehow, as he advances, the people who have left him and the people who he's left behind will still be waiting for him at the end.

A down-to-earth rapper and singer who has worked closely with Pharrell Williams and Kaytranada, Buddy was nicknamed at an early age by his sister. The tag stuck with the young Simmie Sims, who began to take music-making seriously as a middle schooler in his native Compton, California. While in his late teens, through his manager, Buddy found an admirer in Pharrell Williams, who added him to the roster of Star Trak, and subsequently that of I Am Other. Produced by Williams, the rambunctious debut single "Awesome Awesome" arrived as Buddy's proper debut single in 2011. After a little additional material, Buddy's next big stride was with the mixtape Idle Time, released in 2014 with guest spots from Williams, Kendrick Lamar, and Miley Cyrus. Stray tracks were scattered throughout the next couple years and led to the 2017 EP Ocean & Montana, an independent five-track effort recorded with Kaytranada. Among the notable tracks on which Buddy has lent support throughout the years are Nipsey Hussle's "Status Symbol" and "Status Symbol 2," DJ Quik and Problem's "This Is Your Moment," BJ the Chicago Kid's "Man Down" and "Church," and Iman Omari and Like's "Backwoods (Third Eye)." ~ Andy Kellman