Smino in Concert

Captivating rapper and singer-songwriter Smino employs a full band and backup singers for his live show, bringing lush life to songs like “Anita” and “Wild Irish Roses.” It’s a deeply felt mix of hip-hop, neo-soul, funk, electronic music and hard rock. Since releasing the S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck and blkjuptr EPs in 2015, Smino has slowly built a fan base through touring and recordings that fuse his eclectic influences with the cutting-edge electronic beats of Monte Booker. He supported Mick Jenkins on the A Quest for Love tour in 2016, SZA on the CTRL tour in 2017 and T-Pain on the Acoustic tour later that year. The second half of his third headlining trek, the Hoopti tour, follows a pair of triumphant appearances at Coachella 2019.

Smino Background

Smino, born Christopher Smith Jr., was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but found his hip-hop community in the bustling independent rap scene of Chicago. Smith was raised in a musical family, hearing gospel and smooth jazz on the radio. His dad played keys, his mom sang and his cousin Drea Smith is a singer who ended up in bands like He Say/She Say and Pyyramids. Smith played drums in church, began rapping in middle school and eventually released music under his birth name. Later taking the name Smino — a blend of his surname and the Nino Brown character from the film New Jack City — he released a pair of EPs in 2015, garnering attention and guest spots from fellow post-genre rap artists like Saba and Noname. His debut, blkswn, was named one of the best rap albums of the year by Rolling Stone and Complex. His 2018 follow-up, NØIR, featured appearances by Valee and Dreezy. He’s a member of the Zero Fatigue collective, which includes producer Monte Booker, singer Ravyn Lenae and rappers Bari and Jay2.