Today, July 2, is the birthday of Long Beach rapper and 2015 XXL Freshman Vince Staples. The rapper is now 25.

Growing up in both Long Beach and Compton, Calif, Staples started rapping as an escape from the gang banging environment around him. He became friends with acts like Syd Tha Kid, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt of Odd Future and Mac Miller, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. His first mixtape to gain him national attention was 2013's Stolen Youth followed by 2014's Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 and Hell Can Wait.

The Def Jam Recordings artist and member of the 2015 XXL Freshman class dropped his debut album, Summertime '06, in the summer of 2015. With an energetic decisive flow, and a knack for piercing lyricism, Staples continued to leave his mark when he dropped off his Big Fish Theory album in the summer of 2017. Leveraging his snarky sense of humor, Staples has also gone on to become popular social media personality.

Happy Birthday, Vince Staples!

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