Christopher Smith Jr. (born October 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Smino, is an American rapper and singer. Smino is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari,

Monte Booker Ahmanti Booker (born March 27, 1995), professionally known as Monte Booker is an American producer from Chicago, Illinois. He is part of the musical collective Zero Fatigue, and has worked with artists such as Smino, Ravyn Lenae, Noname, Saba, ...

, Jay2, and

Ravyn Lenae Ravyn Lenae Washington (born January 22, 1999) is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Chicago who is currently signed to Atlantic Records and the Three Twenty Three Music Group. She is also a member of the musical collective Zero Fatigue. H ...

. He is a member of the hip-hop supergroup Zoink Gang, with JID,

Buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...

and Guapdad 4000. He is also one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Saba and Noname. Smino is signed to Downtown Records and

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Musi ...

. Smino initially gained local recognition in 2012 where he released a mixtape called ''Smeezy Dot Com'', and a collaboration mixtape with Bari called ''Retail''. In 2015, he released two EPs: ''S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck'' and '' blkjuptr''. His debut studio album '' blkswn'' was released to critical acclaim on March 14, 2017. His second studio album, '' NØIR'', was released on November 8, 2018. His third studio album, '' Luv 4 Rent'' was released on October 28, 2022.

Early life and education

Christopher Smith Jr. was born into a musical family in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

: his father played keys, his mother sang, and his grandfather played bass guitar for Blues Hall of Fame musician

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

. Both his father and grandfather were given opportunities to take their music far, but they gave up their success to be with their families. When he was seven, his father gave him a set of drums, which he played in his church's band, and also began singing. Smino graduated from Hazelwood Central High School in 2010. A surburban high school located in Florissant, Missouri. He later moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for college under the wing of his older cousin, singer Drea Smith.

Musical career

2009–2015: Career beginnings and various projects

Between 2009 and 2013, Smino went by the stage name C. Smi, and was in a rap duo with his friend Bari Allen called "Young Dumb and Outta Control" (YDOC), where they released three mixtapes including ''Retail''. As they started to gain popularity locally, Smino released his first solo mixtape, ''Smeezy Dot Com'' in 2012 and moved back to Chicago. At

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...

, he met engineer Chris "Classick" Inumerable, who became his manager. On October 2, 2015, Smino released his first EP, ''S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck''. On December 11, 2015, he released his second EP titled '' Blkjuptr''.

2016–2017: blkswn

On July 31, 2016, Smino appeared on Noname's mixtape, '' Telefone'', with Saba and Phoelix on the track "Shadow Man". In the fall of 2016, Smino was alongside Mick Jenkins on the A Quest For Love Tour. On October 27, he made another guest appearance on ''

Bucket List Project ''Bucket List Project'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Saba. It was released on October 27, 2016 by Saba Pivot, LLC. Background The album was produced mainly by Saba himself and Phoelix, with guest producers ranging from Cam O'bi, ...

'' on the song "World in My Hands". On December 2, 2016, Smino released the title track to serve as the first single from his debut album, '' blkswn'', which was released on March 14, 2017. The release date holds a special significance to Smino because 314 is the area code of his hometown. The album includes guest appearances from

, Bari, Noname, theMIND, Jay2, Via Rosa, Drea Smith, and Akenya, with production coming from

, THEMpeople, Sango, Phoelix, and J. Bird. Following the album's release, he headlined in his month-long Swanita Tour, which included 22 dates with guests Monte Booker, Jay2, Bari, and Jean Deaux. On July 6, it was announced that Smino and Ravyn Lenae will be opening for

SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the hip ...

on The CTRL Tour. He later released music videos for "Anita", "Netflix & Dusse", and "Wild Irish Roses". During October, he was opening act for T-Pain on his Acoustic Tour, who appeared on the remix for "Anita".

2018–2019: ''NØIR''

In April 2018, he and Monte Booker co-headlined the Kouple Drillz Tour which included shows in Asia and Australia. On May 17, he released a single called "New Coupe, Who Dis?" featuring Mick Jenkins. He also appeared on some of his frequent collaborative producers tracks, Cam O'Bi on "TenderHeaded", Phoelix on "Taranphoeno", and Sango on "Khlorine". On July 9, he released a remix to

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

's "

In My Feelings "In My Feelings" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his fifth studio album ''Scorpion'' (2018). It was released to rhythmic and contemporary hit radio on July 10, 2018, as the album's fifth single. The song features additional vocals by th ...

", and a track called "Coupe Se' Yern" produced by himself. On October 26, 2018, Smino released a single titled "L.M.F." produced by Sango, accompanied by a music video. Smino released the album's second single titled "Klink" on November 4, announcing it via an Instagram post. His second album, '' NØIR'', was released on November 8. The album includes guest appearances from Zero Fatigue members, Bari, Jay2, and

, as well as

Dreezy Seandrea Sledge (born March 28, 1994), better known by her stage name Dreezy, is an American rapper and singer. She signed with Interscope Records in 2014 where she released the studio albums '' No Hard Feelings'' (2016) and ''Big Dreez'' (2019) ...

, and Valee. The production came from himself, Monte Booker, THEMpeople, Sango, Phoelix, KRS, Al B Smoov, and Da-P. In 2019, Smino announced the Hoopti Tour, which included 33 shows in England, the United States, and Canada. Supporting acts for the tour will be EarthGang and Phoelix. On April 3, 2019, Smino released the music video for "Z4L", directed by Ev Solomon and produced by AJR Films, with clips of backstage footage on tour. Following the success of ''NØIR'', Smino was invited to participate in the recording sessions for ''

Revenge of the Dreamers III ''Revenge of the Dreamers III'' is the third compilation album by American record label Dreamville, released on July 5, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records. ''Revenge of the Dreamers III'' includes contributions from Dreamville artists, J. ...

'', a collaborative album released by Dreamville Records in July 2019. On the original release of the album, he was featured on "1993", "Sacrifices", and "Oh Wow...Swerve" as a member of Zoink Gang. When the album's Director's Cut edition was released, Smino was featured on two additional tracks: "Spin Move" and "Passcode". In August 2019, Smino appeared with Saba, Earthgang, and J. Cole in the music video for "Sacrifices", which has amassed almost 20 million views as of March 2021.

2019–2020: ''She Already Decided'' and collaborations

On October 17, 2019, he announced the supergroup Ghetto Sage with Saba and Noname, releasing a single titled "Häagen Dazs". On October 25, he released the single "Trina", produced by Kenny Beats and Lido. On December 23, he released a two-song EP titled ''High 4 Da Highladays''. Throughout the year, he colloborated with many artists such as

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

Cousin Stizz Stephen Goss (born March 15, 1992), known professionally as Cousin Stizz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is from Dorchester, Massachusetts and signed to RCA Records. Early life Stephen Goss was born on March 15, 1992, in Boston, Mass ...

, SiR, and Doja Cat. SminoGovBallNYC2021

In February 2020, Smino announced the completion of his third studio album. On March 14, he released the song "Tempo" produced by VZN. On April 20, 2020, Smino released the mixtape '' She Already Decided'', which includes guest appearances from Sevyn Streeter, T-Pain, Bari, and Rizz Capolatti. Production on the mixtape came from Groove, Kal Banx, VZN, and Phoelix among others. In August 2020, Smino was featured on the soundtrack to the '' Madden NFL 21'' game, on the song "Backstage Pass", alongside Monte Booker and The Drums. Smino made further collaborations in 2020 appearing on songs with JID, Ari Lennox, and Thundercat.

2021–present: ''Luv 4 Rent''

On January 18, 2021, Smino released the song "MLK Dr" in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. On May 18, Smino released the single "Rice & Gravy" with Monte Booker. The single was also performed on Colors Studio on May 24. He appeared on guest verses throughout 2021 including "Claymore" by

Isaiah Rashad Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain (born May 16, 1991), is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip ...

, "Right Track" by Syd and "Louie Bag" by

Yebba Abigail Elizabeth Smith, (born January 16, 1995) known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her backing vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's SNL performance of ...

. On November 11, Smino released the single "I Deserve" featuring NOS. On November 16, Smino announced he signed a new record deal with

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

in partnership with his independent label Zero Fatigue. On December 7, 2021, Smino debuted a series with Issa Rae Productions on YouTube Originals titled ''What Say What?!''. On the first episode, he announced the title of his third studio album, '' Luv 4 Rent'', while performing "I Deserve" and an unreleased song called "Black Luv Ain't Dead". On April 3, 2022, Smino was nominated for Best Engineered Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. On September 30, 2022, he released the first official single from the album, "90 Proof" with

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

. On October 21, he released the second single, "Matinee", while also revealing the album's tracklist. ''Luv 4 Rent'' was released on October 28, 2022. The album includes guest appearances from J. Cole,

Doechii Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii (previously known as Iamdoechii), is an American rapper. After releasing her debut EP, ''Oh the Places You'll Go'' (2020), she rose to prominence with the viral succes ...

, Fatman Scoop, Cruza, Lucky Daye, Phoelix, Cory Henry,

Lil Uzi Vert Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...

and Reggie.

Personal life

In January 2021, Smino found out that he is related to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

rapper

Denzel Curry Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Flor ...

through the discovery of a shared uncle. In November of 2020, Smino and Ebonee Davis, who's a model and activist, have been reported as dating. Sources say that they are still together and are open about their relationship on social media.

Artistry

Smino describes his sound as futuristic funk and soulful rap and tends to call his style "ratchet romance". He grew up listening to a lot of jazz, gospel, and hip hop, including

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

, Ludacris,

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Field Mob. Smino names rappers

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, André 3000 and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

as his biggest musical influences, as well as his cousin, Drea Smith. In an interview with ''Pitchfork'' he stated, "I grew up in the church, so it was a bunch of gospel along with Musiq Soulchild, Em, T-Pain—just a bunch of soulful dudes that are country. My first favorite rapper was Ludacris." Scott Glaysher of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' described his music is a "mix of smart rapping and crowd-pleasing, futuristic R&B grooves." Jay Balfour from '' Pitchfork'' said he focuses "on his incredibly versatile voice within a warm palette of sludgy R&B and neo-funk" and "throws a million different voices into the mix." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' said "his rap makes room for southern R&B and imperfect harmony singing; the drums are inevitably cooled out, like nth-wave neo soul."

Other ventures

Zero Fatigue

Smino is a founder and part of a musical collective and record label called Zero Fatigue with Monte Booker, Jay2, Bari,

, Elton "L10MixedIt" Chueng, Chris "Classick" Innumerable, and Nosidam. The collective's origins began when Smino met Classick at

, who owned a recording studio in his house in Chicago and later became his manager. Interning for Classick, engineer and mixer L10MixedIt Chueng met Smino in that studio where they began working together. Unofficial members and affiliates of the collective include Jean Deaux, Drea Smith, Phoelix, & JayBaby TheGreaty.

Kribmas

Kribmas is an annual Christmas concert and fundraising event hosted by Smino in his hometown of

, which began in 2016. Ymani Wince wrote about the event saying, "Kribmas is more than just Smino's homecoming weekend; the rapper's team employs local photographers, videographers, stylists, businesses and artists to put each element of the show together."

Fashion

On April 5, 2018, Smino unveiled his design of satin-lined hoodies called "Silk Pillows", named after his song of the same name. After it went viral on the internet, he explained the design addresses the problem of waking up with messy or damaged hair.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Collaborations

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Production discography

2012

;Chris Smith Jr - ''Smeezy Dot Com'' * 01. "Solar" * 02. "Smeezy Dot Com" * 03. "Who is Dude" * 04. "Kill" * 05. "Yves Saint Louis" * 06. "Tha Man" * 07. "Sara Lee (Interlude)" * 08. "Juicin'" * 09. "Overdose" * 10. "Heaven on Mars" * 11. "Bombay" (with Bari Allen)

2013

;Chris Smith Jr & Bari Allen - ''Retail'' * 01. "Clientle" * 02. "The Spekulation" * 03. "Werk" * 04. "Mind Bleed" * 05. "Uza Nigga" * 06. "Slow Burn" * 07. "Wett" * 08. "Vanity" * 09. "Purgatory" * 10. "No Limit (Interlude)" * 11. "Flawless P" * 12. "Sweet Jesus" * 13. "Goin Krazy" * 14. "The Growth"

2018

;Smino - ''4sport'' * 02. "coupe se' yern" ;Smino - ''New Coupe, Who Dis?'' - Single * 00. "New Coupe, Who Dis?" (featuring Mick Jenkins) ;Bari - ''The Prefix'' * 03. "Intrigue" (featuring Smino) (produced with Monte Booker) ; Jean Deaux - ''Krash'' * 05. "Energy / Who-U" (featuring

) (produced with Phoelix & ROMderful) ;Smino - '' NØIR'' * 15. "Krushed Ice" (featuring Valee) * 17. "MF Groove" (featuring Ravyn Lenae)

2021

;

Maxo Kream Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah Jr. (born March 29, 1990), known professionally as Maxo Kream, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. His debut album ''Punken'' was released in 2018, and the follow-up and major label debut, ''Brandon Banks (album), ...

- ''Weight of the World'' * 16. "Believe" (featuring

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles "No Idea (song), No Idea" and "After Party ...

) (produced with Monte Booker)

Music videos

As lead artist

As featured artist

Filmography

Tours

;Headlining * Swanita Tour (2017) * Kouple Drillz Tour (2018) * Hoopti Tour (2019) * Euro Fatigue Tour (2020) ;Supporting * A Quest For Love Tour (2016) * The CTRL Tour (2017) * Acoustic Tour (2017)

References

{{Authority control Living people 1991 births American hip hop singers Midwest hip hop musicians Rappers from St. Louis People from St. Louis County, Missouri 21st-century American rappers American male rappers Motown artists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American male singers