The 26 year old rapper Smino from the midwest has released a new song on October 25th, 2019. Its slightly different from his usual post funk hip-hop sound but not too far off. This song weighs a little heavier on new wave hip-hop with a Smino twist to it. Even though his music occasionally reminds me of Amine and Earthgang, Smino is an original. They’re styles relate to each other due to the genre they all chose to create music in, which to me is post funk mixed with hip-hop and soul. Storytelling, animated sounds and witty yet creative lyrics are all part of Smino’s sound.
Christopher Smith Jr. was born into a musically inclined household. Both his parents made music easily inspiring Smino to get involved. Their blend of Jazz, Blues and Gospel was soon after mirrored is Smino’s work. Before his rap career flourished, Smino was a drummer and played in his local church band. Soon after, he started writing music at an early age, jotting down lyrics in a little booklet preparing for his rap debut. “I started writing, and I was good at that s**t. I had a little book, bro, a rhyme book”, he told Rolling Stone, “It was like a dictionary, but with every word that rhymes with every word. I read the whole book. I used to freestyle on the playground, and I could rhyme anything with anything. It taught me about slant rhyme”. Rapping in first grade and recording and performing with his homie Bari at age 15 already had Smino well on track with his music career. After he graduated highschool, Smino moved to Chicago and attended Columbia College. There, his cousin Drea Smith introduced the up-and-coming rapper to other artists in the Chicago scene. He thereafter formed a collective music group featuring a variety of artists including singer Ravyn Lenae, rapper Jay2AintShit and producer Monte Booker. In 2016, Smino dropped his first funky soul filled EP “S!ck S!ck S!ck” which was soon after followed by the chart topping album “Blkswn”. Smino also gained a larger variety of fans after touring with SZA and T-Pain.
His new Track “Trina” goes had in hand with his eye-catching music video. The video starts off with a pretty girl parking a cadillac on the neighbors lawn. Smino gets in the Cadillac and from that point on gets ready for the “1st Annual Player’s Ball”. Beautiful women, fur coats, colorful suits and a pimpin Andre 3000 vibe had me swooning over the music video. Smino manages to find the bridge between new wave hip hop, post RnB and funk like you’ve never seen it. His music is nothing but good vibes and creative lyrics with a humorous touch, just like Smino himself. He told Papermag in an interview, “I’m black, dude. From St. Louis, smoke a bunch of weed, make a bunch of music. Family oriented as fuck. Real down to earth”.
