Vince Staples is officially a member of the Def Jam Records roster. Although not publicly announced by the label or Vince himself, the deal has come to light thanks to the release of Earl Sweatshirt's Doris. In the album's liner notes, Vince, who is on three of the songs, is listed as having appeared on the project "courtesy Blacksmith/A.G./Def Jam Recordings."
The Long Beach native has managed to attract a lot of attention thanks to his verse on "Hive," one of the standout selections off Doris. Coincidentally, Vince first emerged in the scene thanks to his show-stealing verse on Earl's first project for a song called "epaR."
As a solo artist, Vince has released three mixtapes: Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1, Winter In Prague, and Stolen Youth. Winter In Prague was produced entirely by Michael Uzowuru, while Stolen Youth was entirely produced by Mac Miller under his Larry Fisherman moniker. Shortly after releasing Stolen Youth, Vince accompanied Mac on the nationwide Space Migration Tour.
His gritty delivery and content have earned him the support of two important industry executives: Joie Manda and No I.D. Manda is currently the President of Urban Music at Interscope Records, having formerly been the president of Def Jam. Meanwhile, No I.D. is the Executive Vice President of Def Jam.
As of now, it appears that the Long Beach native is working on Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2, a follow-up to his debut mixtape. When we asked about the signing, Vince and his camp declined to comment. More information will likely emerge in the coming weeks.
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