Smino

Neo-soul rapper Smino fuses playful lyricism with funk, hip-hop, and R&B to shape an unmistakable sonic identity. After surfacing through early-2010s mixtapes and EPs, he delivered his first proper album, Blkswn, in 2017 and reached the Billboard charts the next year with NOIR. Known for trading featured spots as readily as he extends them, Smino enlisted Doechii, J. Cole, and others for his third studio effort, 2022’s Luv 4 Rent, then continued with the 2024 single “Polynesian.”

Born Christopher Smith, Jr., he absorbed jazz, blues, and gospel through a household of musicians and later folded those roots together with the sounds of Kanye West and Dungeon Family. A drummer from childhood who performed in his church band, Smino moved into rapping after first appearing in the St. Louis duo YDOC (“Young Dumb and Outta Control”) and issuing the solo mixtape SMEEZY DOT COM. Following high-school graduation, he relocated to Chicago for Columbia College, where his cousin, singer Drea Smith, linked him with the city’s artists.

In 2015 he launched the Zero Fatigue collective with producer Monte Booker, rapper Jay2AintShit, and singer Ravyn Lenae. That October brought his debut EP, the sexually charged S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck, followed swiftly by Blkjuptr, an André 3000-esque meditation on cultural alienation. Before the year closed he unveiled the title track “Blkswn,” which preceded the 2017 singles “Anita” and “BlkOscars.” Blkswn arrived in early 2017 with guest spots from Ravyn Lenae, Noname, and others, and Smino promoted it on tours alongside SZA and T-Pain.

He paired with Chicago emcee Mick Jenkins for 2018’s “New Coupe, Who Dis?,” then released his second album, NOIR, that November—his first project to enter the Billboard 200. The 2019 EP High 4 Da Highladys and single “Reverend” arrived next, followed in 2020 by the mixtape She Already Decided, the Madden NFL 21 soundtrack cut “Backstage Pass” with Monte Booker and The Drums, and collaborations with JID, Doja Cat, Ari Lennox, and additional artists.

November 2021’s “I Deserve,” featuring NOS, coincided with the announcement of his Motown Records deal, and December brought the title reveal for his third album, Luv 4 Rent, which appeared in October of the following year. In 2023 he joined Baby Rose on “I Won’t Tell” and featured on a remix of ENNY’s “Charge It,” while 2024 yielded the singles “mister misfit but aint missed a fit in months” and “Polynesian.”