Smino Still Loves Kanye Despite Him 'Eating Too Much Of That Kardashian Soup'

Nelly put St Louis, Missouri, on the hip hop map back in the late '90s. But, today, the rapper, singer, drummer and producer Smino (aka Christopher Smith Jr) is leading a fresh wave from the mid-western city – even while based in nearby Chicago. And that wave will hit Laneway this summer, with Smith's second Australian run. 

Serendipitously, Smith connected with his Hot In Herre forebear very recently – out in California. "I actually just met Nelly, like, two nights ago in LA on some crazy shit," he shares. "Really crazy. I never met Nelly before. I met him at a club. I was drunk and it was random and it was just like, 'Damn, that's tight as hell!'"

A mellow Smith is taking a break from rehearsals with his band. Smith laughs at the suggestion that he could be a disciplinarian band leader like James Brown, fining musicians for missteps. Indeed, his players are "solid". As it happens, Smith toured here last year behind his official debut, Blkswn (black swan), co-headlining with his Windy City production cohort Monte Booker. Smith was "squinting hard, trying to catch the accents," he confesses. "It was cool. All the shows sold out and it was just a crazy experience, man. Good-ass food, cool-ass people – you know, it was beautiful. And I've seen some little black swans in person – that shit was tight."

Smith has a rich musical heritage, his grandfather playing bass for Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters. The youngster joined his parents performing in the church band after Dad bought him drums. Then, at seven, Smith started rapping, following a cousin. In his teens, he picked up production skills, attending college in Chicago – its scene popping with Chance The Rapper's ascendance. Smith developed his own mode of soulful yet bouncy hip hop, influenced by Kanye West and Southern trailblazers such as OutKast's Andre 3000. He established himself with 2012's buzz mixtape, Smeezy Dot Com, plus EPs. Smith also guested on Noname's mixtape Telefone and SABA's album Bucket List Project, both artists ongoing collaborators. Crucially, he co-founded Chicago's Zero Fatigue collective, among its members Booker and the soulstress Ravyn Lenae – a fellow Laneway headliner. He values his crew for grounding him. 

"I was just experimenting with that aspect this time, more so than trying to be extra-personal and deep and heartfelt. I just wanted to make some good sounds."

"It's cool. I feel like it's important, 'cause it's people that have seen you kinda have the desire to go be bigger than who you are and help people. It's people who saw you actually working hard and building your sound. They can tell you in the future if you're getting beside yourself or just keep your head level when you've got people around you that actually didn't know you or [weren't] familiar with you. A lot of artists get on and they move straight to LA by themselves, get a whole new slew of motherfuckin' people around them, and they just change; the music changes, a lotta shit changes... But I ain't really had no desire to do no real shit like that."

In early 2017, Smith presented the acclaimed Blkswn, telling his truth about the black American experience. He opened T-Pain's Acoustic Tour and the iconic 'rappa ternt sanga' added a verse to a remix of Blkswn's popular single Anita. This past November, Smith dropped an innovative second album, Noir, led by the groovy LMF. He describes the LP as looser and more instinctive than the "in-depth" Blkswn. "I just feel like music's been going through a place where it's just real 'feel'-oriented," he ponders. "I was just experimenting with that aspect this time, more so than trying to be extra-personal and deep and heartfelt. I just wanted to make some good sounds." The ingeniously titled Tequila Mockingbird ventures into dub-reggae. 

The streaming fave reflects contentedly on 2018. Smith travelled widely and encountered idols like Erykah Badu. "I'm really looking forward to doing [music] strategically [in 2019], 'cause now it's kinda like we know what it's doing, so we can plan the moves out a little more and do shit in a bigger and better way." He's anticipating his first TV appearance. 

The most debated artist in 2018 was Smith's hero West with his music, politics and tweet storms. Smith still "loves" Yeezy but admits even he's confused. "I feel that [he's] eating too much of that Kardashian soup – he's tripping!" Smith laughs. "He's eating that Kardashian stew or that Get Out powder, whatever he got goin' on – or whatever he had goin' on. I don't know what the fuck... But, yeah, Kanye's an interesting person, though. He always makes motherfuckers pay attention to him – no matter whether it's good or bad. He don't care whether it's good or bad. He just wants attention."