Smino

Smino
Smino performing in October 2016
Background information
Birth name	Christopher Smith Jr.
Born	(1991-10-02) October 2, 1991 (age 25) St. Louis, Missouri
Genres	Hip hop, funk, soul, R&B
Occupation(s)	Rapper, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, drums
Years active	2011-present
Labels	Zero Fatigue LLC, Downtown Records
Associated acts	Monte Booker, Bari, Jay2, Ravyn Lenae, Jean Deaux, Mick Jenkins, Phoelix, Julian Bell, Saba, Noname

Christopher Smith Jr (born October 2, 1991), better known by his stage name, Smino, is an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. In 2015, he released two EPs: S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck and blkjuptr. His debut album, blkswn was released on March 14, 2017.

Chris Smith Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri into a musical family: his father plays keys, his mother sings, and his grandfather played bass guitar for Blues Hall of Fame musician Muddy Waters. Both his father and grandfather were given opportunities to take their music far, but they gave up their success to be with their families. When he was seven, his father gave him a set of drums, which he played in his church’s band, and also began rapping. He later moved to Chicago, Illinois for college under the wing of his older cousin, singer Drea Smith.

In 2012, Smino went by the stage name C. Smi, and was in a rap duo with his friend Bari Allen called "Young Dumb and Outta Control" (YDOC), where they released a mixtape titled Retail. They started to gain popularity locally but had a hard time getting their music out into the world. Smino then released his first solo mixtape, Smeezy Dot Com, and moved back to Chicago. At Columbia College Chicago, he met engineer Chris "Classik" Inumerable, who became his closest friend and is now his manager.

Smino is part of a musical collective called "Zero Fatigue" with producer Monte Booker, and artists Jay2, Bari, and Ravyn Lenae. On October 2, 2015 Smino released his first EP, S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck. On December 11, he released his second EP titled Blkjuptr. On July 31, 2016, Smino appeared on Noname's mixtape, Telefone, with Saba and Phoelix on the track "Shadow Man". On August 17, it was announced that Smino will be alongside Mick Jenkins on the A Quest For Love Tour. On October 27, he made another guest appearance on Bucket List Project on the song "World in My Hands".