# Smino
**Smino** (born Christopher Smith Jr., 1991, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American rapper and singer who combines hip-hop with funk, soul, and R&B influences drawn from his musical family and from artists such as [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west) and the [Dungeon Family](https://www.edgepedia.org/dungeon-family).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) A drummer since childhood who played in his church band, he is known for a melodic, rhythmically loose delivery that critics have described as combining whimsical wordplay with a sonic language of his own.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991, St. Louis, Missouri, as Christopher Smith Jr.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) |
| Collective / labels | Founder of Zero Fatigue (2015), with Monte Booker, Jay2AintShit, and Ravyn Lenae; signed to Downtown Records and Interscope, later Motown[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [3](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/smino?year=2026) |
| Studio albums | blkswn (2017), NOIR (2018), Luv 4 Rent (2022), Maybe in Nirvana (2024)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [4](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/12/smino-maybe-in-nirvana/) |
| Chart milestones | NOIR was his first album to enter the Billboard 200; Maybe in Nirvana peaked at #8 on Apple Music's Hip-Hop & R&B chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino) |
| Supergroups | Ghetto Sage with Saba and Noname (2019); Zoink Gang with JID, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426) • [3](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/smino?year=2026) |
| Touring | Hoopti tour sold over 34,000 tickets in total; headline tours include Kountry Kousins (2025)[6](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ogdenpayne/2019/05/07/inside-sminos-plans-to-make-timeless-music-build-businesses-and-leave-a-legacy/) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino) |
## Early life and move to Chicago
Smino was raised by a family of musicians who gave him early exposure to jazz, blues, and gospel music.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) He began rapping around age seven, and as a teenager formed the St. Louis duo YDOC ("Young, Dumb and Out of Control"), for which he produced the music, booked the shows, and handled the recordings himself.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [7](https://www.complex.com/music/a/brendan-klinkenberg/smino-interview) He was voted "best rapper" at Hazelwood Central High School.[8](https://www.stlmag.com/culture/music/smino-city-sc-partner-for-homegrown-music-program/)
After high school he moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College, then dropped out and integrated himself into the city's music scene, often sleeping in recording studios.[6](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ogdenpayne/2019/05/07/inside-sminos-plans-to-make-timeless-music-build-businesses-and-leave-a-legacy/) He described living for a year in a recording booth at a space called the Music Factory, then working out of Classick Studios, where his manager and engineer Chris "Classick" Inumerable gave him free access to record; the producer Monte Booker was part of the same circle, and Smino stopped making his own beats after meeting him.[7](https://www.complex.com/music/a/brendan-klinkenberg/smino-interview) He has said he discovered he could "croon" by stacking melodies on his first solo project, *Smeezy Dot Com*, in 2012.[9](https://www.thefader.com/2017/05/04/smino-blkswn-interview-ferguson-gen-f/)
## Zero Fatigue and the early releases
In 2015 Smino formed the collective Zero Fatigue with producer Monte Booker, rapper Jay2AintShit, and singer Ravyn Lenae.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) That October he released his first official EP, *S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck*, quickly followed by *Blkjuptr*, which he described as coming from "feeling like an alienated black person."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [9](https://www.thefader.com/2017/05/04/smino-blkswn-interview-ferguson-gen-f/) What began as a group of friends later developed into both a collective and a record label.[4](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/12/smino-maybe-in-nirvana/)
## Studio albums
**blkswn (2017).** His debut album arrived in early 2017 with appearances by Ravyn Lenae and Noname, and was named by Rolling Stone as one of the year's 40 best rap albums.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino) He promoted it on tours supporting SZA and T-Pain.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481)
**NOIR (2018).** Released that November, it became his first album to enter the Billboard 200 and landed on year-end lists from Complex, The Atlantic, and REVOLT.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino)
**Luv 4 Rent (2022).** After revealing in late 2021 that he had signed a deal with Motown Records, Smino released his third album in October 2022, with featured guests including Doechii and [J. Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-cole), and singles "90 Proof" with J. Cole and "Pro Freak" with Doechii and [Fatman Scoop](https://www.edgepedia.org/fatman-scoop).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino)
**Maybe in Nirvana (2024).** Released in December 2024 through Zero Fatigue, this fourth album was written and recorded before *Luv 4 Rent*, four to five years before its release. It runs just under 29 minutes with nine songs after the intro, and its largest featured names are Thundercat on "Hoe-Nouns" and [Bun B](https://www.edgepedia.org/bun-b) on "Ms. Joyce." It peaked at #8 on Apple Music's Hip-Hop & R&B chart.[4](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/12/smino-maybe-in-nirvana/) • [5](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino) The lead single "Dear Fren" opens as a letter to his grandmother.[4](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/12/smino-maybe-in-nirvana/)
## Collaborations and groups
Smino appears as a featured artist as often as he hosts features on his own records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481) His widely streamed guest appearances include Noname's "Shadow Man" (2016) and Dreamville's "Sacrifices" (2019).[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426) In 2019 he formed the supergroup Ghetto Sage with Noname and [Saba](https://www.edgepedia.org/saba-rapper), after earlier Chicago collaborations had grouped him with the city's scene alongside [Chance the Rapper](https://www.edgepedia.org/chance-the-rapper) and Noname.[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426) • [7](https://www.complex.com/music/a/brendan-klinkenberg/smino-interview) He is also a member of Zoink Gang with JID, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000.[3](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/smino?year=2026)
## Business and St. Louis ties
Smino has built Zero Fatigue into a business as well as a label. On tour with SZA in 2017 he devised a satin-lined hoodie, retailed through Zero Fatigue, that according to his team earned six figures in revenue from that single item.[6](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ogdenpayne/2019/05/07/inside-sminos-plans-to-make-timeless-music-build-businesses-and-leave-a-legacy/) His annual Kribmas benefit concert in St. Louis has directed proceeds to Almost Home, a nonprofit serving unhoused women and children, and to Annie Malone Children and Family Services, and he has partnered with St. Louis CITY SC on a homegrown music program mentoring local artists.[8](https://www.stlmag.com/culture/music/smino-city-sc-partner-for-homegrown-music-program/)
## Recent activity
After roughly two years without new releases following *Luv 4 Rent*, Smino re-emerged in 2026 supporting Wale's Everything is a Lot Tour and releasing new singles, drawing on time spent on the West Coast.[10](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/interviews/smino-interview) • [11](https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/smino-returns-new-single-its-rap-and-figaro-music-video-zero-fatigue) His 2026 releases include the single "DUET" with Sango (July 9, 2026, via [Mass Appeal Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/mass-appeal-records)), "Stadium Coupe," and "Gotta Be Us (Be The People)."[2](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426) In September 2026 he played California dates with [Erykah Badu](https://www.edgepedia.org/erykah-badu) and The Alchemist in San Diego and Berkeley.[3](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/smino?year=2026)
## A note on the name
The name smino also belongs to an unrelated cloud-based construction project management platform, which centralizes plans, tasks, defects, and team communication for construction firms; it holds a 4.1 rating from 29 reviews on Capterra and a 78/100 score from ITQlick.[12](https://www.capterra.com/p/238653/smino/) • [13](https://www.itqlick.com/smino)
## References
1. [Smino – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (Neil Z. Yeung)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smino-mn0003521481)
2. [Smino – Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smino/1029511426)
3. [Smino's 2026 Concert & Tour History, Concert Archives](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/smino?year=2026)
4. [Smino :: Maybe in Nirvana, RapReviews (Steve 'Flash' Juon, December 10, 2024)](https://www.rapreviews.com/2024/12/smino-maybe-in-nirvana/)
5. [SMINO | Official Page on EVEN](https://www.even.biz/artists/smino)
6. [Inside Smino's Plans To Make Timeless Music, Scale His Business And Leave A Legacy, Forbes (Ogden Payne, May 7, 2019)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ogdenpayne/2019/05/07/inside-sminos-plans-to-make-timeless-music-build-businesses-and-leave-a-legacy/)
7. [Meet Smino, One of 2017's Most Promising Rappers, Complex (Brendan Klinkenberg, November 18, 2016)](https://www.complex.com/music/a/brendan-klinkenberg/smino-interview)
8. [Smino, CITY SC partner for Homegrown music program, St. Louis Magazine](https://www.stlmag.com/culture/music/smino-city-sc-partner-for-homegrown-music-program/)
9. [Meet Smino, The Deeply Loyal Rapper Putting His People First, The FADER (May 4, 2017)](https://www.thefader.com/2017/05/04/smino-blkswn-interview-ferguson-gen-f/)
10. [The Reintroduction of Smino, The Culture Crypt (July 2026)](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/interviews/smino-interview)
11. [Smino Returns With New Single 'It's a Rap' and 'Figaro' Music Video Via Zero Fatigue, National Law Review press release (July 29, 2026)](https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/smino-returns-new-single-its-rap-and-figaro-music-video-zero-fatigue)
12. [smino Software Review 2026, Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/238653/smino/)
13. [Smino Review (2026), ITQlick](https://www.itqlick.com/smino)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Midwest rap (Chicago and Detroit/Michigan)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license