MOD SUN

From Bloomington, Minnesota, the rapper, songwriter, and vocalist Mod Sun fuses traces of his hardcore background with rap, acoustic composition, and electronic textures, producing tracks that connect on both emotional and commercial levels. Greater immersion in circles of chart-topping genre-blenders led to partnerships with Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear, Nipsey Hussle, and additional artists. The 2021 album Internet Killed the Rock Star marked a collaboration with Avril Lavigne while Mod Sun shifted from rap-dominant production toward greater emphasis on the punk and pop dimensions of his writing.

Derek Smith, born under that name, adopted the hip-hop alias Mod Sun near 2004—an abbreviation standing for “Movement on Dreams Stand Under None.” He entered the industry as drummer for the post-hardcore band Four Letter Lie and assumed the Mod Sun identity before striking out solo. Leaving Four Letter Lie in 2009, he joined Scary Kids Scaring Kids on drums, where their concerts also provided the platform to unveil Mod Sun as an opening act.

Once the group split in 2010, rapping became his central pursuit, beginning with the release of the debut The Hippy Hop EP. The In Mod We Trust EP arrived in 2011, followed by Happy as Fuck in 2012. A 2014 signing with Rostrum Records preceded the 2015 issuance of the debut full-length Look Up, which included appearances by Travis Barker, Machine Gun Kelly, and G-Eazy. The next year brought several new singles: the Honorable C.N.O.T.E.-produced “Gucci Nail,” “We Do This Shit” featuring DeJ Loaf, and the Don Cannon-produced “Smokin’ What I’m Smokin’ On” featuring D.R.A.M. and Rich.

March 2017 delivered the sophomore LP Movie and its single “Two.” Later that year he issued the album BB, then spent 2018 releasing singles such as “Runaway” and “Burning Up.” January 2019 saw further singles surface, among them “Tell Me All Your Secrets.” Early 2021 introduced “Flames” featuring Avril Lavigne as the opening track from the fourth album Internet Killed the Rock Star. The record appeared in February 2021; a deluxe edition followed soon after, adding the blackbear collaboration “Heavy” along with numerous acoustic versions of songs from the standard edition.