Crankdat

Born in Ohio, Christian Smith displayed considerable athletic talent in his youth yet declined a complete track-and-field scholarship at Kent State University, choosing instead to channel his efforts into music and craft lively, melody-rich EDM under the name Crankdat. He first experimented with production during high school, managing his sports obligations alongside an intense drive to create original material. Early notice arrived via a series of vigorous remixes for other performers, among them an animated version of Fetty Wap’s debut single “Trap Queen.” Those tracks eventually tallied millions of streams, earning the attention of leading EDM acts such as Skrillex and Chainsmokers while Smith was still barely past his teens. Crankdat later issued original songs amid nonstop touring, among them the 2017 Jauz collaboration “I Hold Still” and the exultant “Dollars.”