KELLEY: And when you were talking to Corey about Vince, what was the - how did he describe him? And one of Michael's, I guess, collaborators was telling Corey that he should work with Michael, and Corey started working with both of us at that point in time. A few people I was working with at the time - the most important would be Michael Uzowuru, great friend of mine - we were in the right place right time kind of situation. I'ma do this.' Then after two years, I was like, 'Alright.

Like year and a half before I was like, 'Alright. But I knew Corey for about year before I cared. He was definitely the stepping stone as far as how - that led to that path. I didn't really care when I met him either. I read an interview with you where you said that you weren't even taking rapping seriously until you met him? KELLEY: I would like to start with Corey, actually, if that's possible. Like, traffic-wise and engagement-wise and everything, so thank you. I just - they need to thank you.īut, yeah. There has to be a reason.' And that's a great - thank you. That - well, I was just sitting around, watching all the other interviews go down. We were in the office and Gabe was like, 'Yeah, we're going to do this NPR First Listen thing.' I was like, 'Isn't that where Ali works?' They was like, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'Alright.' STAPLES: That was solely based off of you. He explained that to me, and I respect his business, so I was like, 'Cool.' But I didn't think it would take two years to get you into the seat.īut I will say you guys gave us First Listen, so that's a hell of a thank you. I did give him the press and, to speak up for him, he had a plan already. So, you know, your manager's a good, long-time friend of mine. And I think that was - was that before Earl? STAPLES: I saw you in the last years I been here. Look - it's funny what you just did, cause - I'm going to fall in right now and say it - we been trying to get you here for two years.

Everyone's pretending they're not sad.'ĪLI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD: What up, Mr. 'I saw that all of it was fake, from the streets to music to the government to my own family to my parents to - all of it was not real,' he says. So we established fear.' Who Vince means by 'they' changes over the course of this interview, but throughout he acknowledges his complicity in a rigged system while laying the blame for its perpetuation at our own lazy, fearful feet. And no one wants to feel like anyone else is better than them. 'Because it's either they're scared of you or they're better than you. 'That's when we understood the power we had in fear,' he says. Vince Staples made his debut album, Summertime '06, so that people who hear it will know how he felt then, as a young teenager in Long Beach, Calif. Vince Staples onstage in Sacramento in May.

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