{"title":"Smino","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Smino\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eChristopher Smith Jr., performing as Smino, was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 17, 1991. He launched his recording career in the mid-2010s and is a member of the foundational Zero Fatigue collective alongside producer Monte Booker, Bari, and Jay2. He has been based in Chicago and has collaborative work with the broader Chicago hip hop scene including Noname and Saba (the NoName\/Saba\/Smino circle). His distinctive blend of hip hop, neo-soul, jazz, funk, and integration of vocal melodicism has been defining of contemporary Midwest underground hip hop. His 2017 debut blkswn received critical attention. His 2022 follow-up Luv 4 Rent and 2024 Maybe in Nirvana continued his trajectory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSound and style\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmino's sound combines hip hop, alternative hip hop, neo-soul, R\u0026amp;B, jazz rap, funk, and contemporary R\u0026amp;B with his distinctive vocal delivery (use of melodic phrasing and Auto-Tune), Monte Booker \/ Zero Fatigue collective production approaches, and lyrical content addressing St. Louis identity, romance, and personal experience drawing on Midwest underground hip hop traditions alongside contemporary R\u0026amp;B and neo-soul influences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscography highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblkswn (2017, Zero Fatigue\/Downtown)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNOIR (2018, Zero Fatigue\/Downtown)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLuv 4 Rent (2022, Zero Fatigue\/Motown)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaybe in Nirvana (2024, Zero Fatigue\/Interscope)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFor collectors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eZero Fatigue, Downtown Records, Motown, and Interscope Records pressings of the Smino catalog have been issued in color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to start\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eListeners new to Smino typically start with blkswn (2017) or Luv 4 Rent (2022). \u003cspan class=\"related-collections\"\u003eExplore more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hip-hop-vinyl-records\"\u003eHip-Hop\/Rap\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"smino-luv-4-rent-color-vinyl","title":"Luv 4 Rent 2LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eLuv 4 Rent is the third studio album by Smino. The album includes guest appearances from J. Cole, Doechii, Fatman Scoop, Cruza, Lucky Daye, Phoelix, Cory Henry, Ravyn Lenae, Lil Uzi Vert and Reggie.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540961341623,"sku":"210000078022","price":32.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/smino.jpg?v=1781154872"},{"product_id":"smino-blkswn-vinyl","title":"Blkswn LP","description":"\u003cp\u003ePitchfork said Smino \"has a melodic vocal style...stretching and warping his vocals to form a new vocabulary.\" He lawlessly implements hip-hop, funk and soul influences on his refreshing debut album Blkswn.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785803083959,"sku":"210000046136","price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/91gqzm0tzfl-sx355.jpg?v=1783045964"},{"product_id":"smino-noir-vinyl","title":"Noir 2LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eNOIR is the sophomore album by Smino, originally released in 2018 on Interscope\/Downtown Records. Following his debut album, blkswn, NOIR explored neo-soul, funk, hip hop, and R\u0026amp;B sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785803247799,"sku":"210000091878","price":32.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/smino-noir.jpg?v=1783045965"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.waxtraxrecords.com\/collections\/smino.oembed","provider":"Wax Trax Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}