A few things come to mind when you think about Smino and everything he embodies as an artist. The St. Louis rapper has always been known to move with his style and individuality amongst his peers. With four EPs, two mixtapes, and three studio albums, music is one part of his evolved artistry. What has been so intrinsically interlinked has been how he has infused visual art, fashion, and his overly creative expressions to bring it all together in a way that he is so commonly known for.
As we are now, a new era for Smino has arrived, one in the form of pure exploration. 2022's Luv 4 Rent, his third studio album, tied together the moments between blkswn and Noir and the three albums that encapsulated a particular time in his life. Now back, two years after the fact, the first indication of a new beginning was the teasing of a drastic change of him cutting his hair with the release of an Instagram post with him with shaved hair and the artwork of his single 'Mister Misfit but ain't missed a fit in months. Although a false alarm, the message was clear cutting of ones hair tends to signify a change that has taken place and often represents starting something new which tends which for Smino, whose hair has been so intrinsically linked to his artistic identity since he first emerged. It would signify a new change and era among us.
Yet, as we've seen with his signature hair still intact, that time is still among us as he returns to the rawness and grittiness he first felt right back in the beginning. "I want to go back to their raw, gritty shit, and that's my next step. That's my next era." As one progresses in one's career, there's also a moment to hit your stride and go your way. Anyone along the Smino journey can note that consistency has always been present in a way that has threaded his music together so firmly. Yet it feels like going back to basics and returning to the mindset where you feel new again opens up another way of thinking and allows for a different kind of exploration within the music, which is definitely what he is tapping into at the minute. "I've been feeling like a new artist; I can't explain it. I'm learning all over again. I've been trying new things musically, and I think my next project might be my most explorative one so far." He tells me as I raise the topic of what this new music phase feels like to him and what it has been like creating music after Luv 4 Rent. "I know I make a lot of crazy stuff, but it's probably going to be about the most different from my whole catalogue."
There is excitement in the air as it speaks to his feelings of what this new music will be, from what has been heard in the form of 'Polynesian', his summer-ready single. We are in store for some great vibes. Already set up for the summer, having dropped at the beginning of June, it feels like the first proper taste of what's to come. "When I made Polynesian, I was in my kitchen, and I had a little drink, and I just was freestyling for real. I freestyled the whole song, and I was like, this feels good. I said it's about to be summertime, and I want to hear my music outside this summer."
His latest offering, NOKIA, featuring rapper and songwriter Cousin Stizz, also contributes to his promises to deliver on this. The two of them have joined forces on a track that has a nostalgic feeling, continuing his current streak of giving fans a taste of what can be expected with the new music on the horizon.
His Smino summer has also consisted of playing a show to his London fans, having just played an incredible show to the eager fans that gathered under the backdrop of a downpour of rain in typical London fashion as part of the Somerset House Concert Series. Although summer was not giving its best representation, more than the rain was needed to deter fans who came together with umbrellas, raincoats and all to engage and partake in the incredible show he delivered despite the conditions. Enlisting some of his friends from over the pond, rappers Knucks and ENNY, who joined him on stage to play their track Charge It. The energy and vibe of the show were a reminder that as his plight continues in this new era, his fans will be there, ready to show up come rain, snow, or sunshine to show out.
Outside of the music, a few weeks prior to the time of our shoot, he was on a solo trip to London, having arrived to set just by himself and another person not on his team, having just been in London for a brief time before going to Paris for Men's Fashion Week. This was another part of his phase of being an observer and emerging himself in the creative spaces taking everything in, "Right now, I'm on my SpongeBob shit. I'm a sponge right now, I've been seeing what I'm inspired by. I've just been taking stuff in and letting it inspire me and digest in my mind." Fashion is a big part of the Smino brand. People around you will tell you how much style, whether through his clothing or even his hair, is intrinsically linked. Hence, it's no surprise that his being in these spaces and taking in everything serves him well because there is a distinct ease and uniqueness in which he has been able to craft what seems effortless in the way he puts outfits together and creates something so individual to him and his whole vibe.
Unsurprisingly, he thinks of his fashion and style as similar to how he thinks about music, and he is rooted in feeling more than anything else. "I treat everything the same way. So honestly, as far as fashion goes, I get up and wear how I feel. I put on a crazy fit to make music in my living room. If I don't feel it, then I'm not in it." On set, he moves effortlessly through the various looks and embodies the different essences that come across each one, so it's apparent that he is very open to trying anything and operates in a way that means that he can embody how different styles speak to him and how putting together different looks bring out different things within him.Never a stranger to navigating and moving within the fashion space, he is known for his colourful outfits that tend to stand out and are moments within themselves when you look at everyone around. It's also clear to distinguish style and understand that whilst some people are just able to throw together random outfits, the styling of it is where it comes together, and this is where Smino has always been able to distinguish himself from his peers who have no doubt tried to copy and do the same thing to lesser effect. However, in the name of the game, he has always been seeking lesser-known designers who offer something different from what is already out there. Unsurprisingly, Instagram is his primary source of inspiration, looking far and wide for people who speak to his particular tastes. "Instagram is where I find a lot of cool shit. So many raw designers post stuff on Instagram. I'm really big on low-key designers and stuff like that. I don't care to wear a lot of luxury brands, even though I do wear stuff, but as you might find, it's mixed with something low-key. I find that Instagram people they like they got it right now."
Another thing that is a big part of Smino's creative expression beyond fashion is his hair. It is another extension of his how ties in all his creative efforts. Fashion and the ability to dress well represent one part of one's expression in how one shows oneself. However, with the topic of hair, there is something much deeper in how it is rooted in one's identity, and this is something that is not lost on him as we touch on his bold and loud expression of his hair, what it means to him and how it speaks to his artistry. "I'm black, and in a lot of my music, I speak about how pro-black, how proud I am to be black, and how much it means to be black and that we should be unapologetically black. I think one of the blackest, most representative things I can do is wear my hair any way I want." This speaks to the deeper meaning of how black hair is viewed and perceived and the way he has this as something that has been used as a way to degrade and police what that should look like to make others feel comfortable. "For me, I never was with that shit. So I was just like, I'm gonna do exactly what I want. I'm gonna wear two big puff balls, and I know dudes don't usually do that. But I do. You know, I've always just never cared about what other people think."
Carrying in this energy has allowed Smino to elevate to his current state. Forever evolving and effortlessly creating new levels, whether through music or fashion, one thing to note is how he has maintained his authenticity. From the release of Smeezy Dot Com in 2012 until now, he has elevated himself, and one thing that has always been central to that is the love he gets from his fans. Meet a Smino fan, and you will see what loyalty and consistency are about. When you talk or hear about how he is underrated, witnessing how his fans engage with him and hold him down will show you another side to that argument. "I hear it all the time. People say, Smino, you are so underrated, but I'm like, bro, I don't feel it. Every time I do a show sold out, every time I'm wherever I'm at, it's just love. And I think it's because people love when people are themselves because everybody knows what it's like to be themselves."
There is something to be said about the individuality that Smino brings and how his fans and people alike can relate to that, which again boosts how he has been able to withstand his decade-long career through everything that has happened along the way. It requires a focus and a mindsight that lets you not be distracted by the noise of everything around you. "I've always been just patient with the process. I never like trying to rush myself and, you know, race and other people's speeds and lanes. I will be in my vibe and my world."
As the conversation nears the end, so many ties are brought together when thinking about his impact and how he views his art compared to how others view it. That always feels like such an interesting point of reflection for anybody who creates art that is shared with the world. However, that output may be. Especially in how things are consumed today with such a hunger for immediacy and how the virality and quick consumed nature means that things may not always have a chance to live and digest. Yet with Smino, everything he delivers allows you to take it in. Whether it be the time in which he releases music and its frequency or how he engages with his fans at various points outside of just music, there is something to be said for how he has been able to set that wave and be a trendsetter for lack of a better word in the way that people have noticed about him. As previously mentioned, the focus and pure concentration on what one is doing allows him to keep winning in every sense of the word. With a new era of music on the horizon and all sorts of projects not yet shared with me, he is very much working and growing and elevating by way of "a new fashion brand and a whole bunch of different cool things", he things tells me. "My whole goal is to make sure the Smino name and the Smino brand continue to expand and grow." And I can tell you right now, he is well on his way to achieving that.
CREDITS
Photography: Amir Hossain (@blacksocks.studio)
Creative Director: TJ Sawyerr (TJ.saw1)
Stylist: Elshhy (@elshhyy)
Set Design: Sasha Hilton (@sashahilton)
Lighting Tech: George Robson (@geornden)
Graphic Design: Jenny Arrowsmith (@arrwsmth)
Hair: Ana Torres (@iamanaveronica)
Makeup: - Racheal Adedigba (@touchedbyracheal)
Producer: Zekaria Al-Bostani (Zek.snaps) + Seneo Mwamba (@seneomwamba)
Design: @Deeds.Studio (@Manuch1m & @ShalemAlone)
Production Assist: Whitney (@its.whit_)
Set Design Assist: Antony Hariades (@antonyhariades)
Retouch: Oleksandra Zabuha (@aalezab_retouch)
BTS: Rare Film Club (@rarefilm.club)
Cast: Kijuan (@kvstheworld) + Bubzy (@13ubz.y)
Interviewer: Seneo Mwamba (@seneomwamba)
PR: Cabine Creative @cabinecreative
