Christopher Smith Jr, who performs and releases music as Smino, is a singer/songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who blends together elements of hip-hop, soul and funk to create a unique style of music. Raised in a musical family, with a bass playing grandfather who played with Muddy Waters, Smino picked up drums at a young age and would go on to play in his church before focusing on rapping and songwriting. Garnering attention for his songs filled with lyrics about corpulent sociological systems taking advantage the downtrodden, Smino would go on to release debut album, blkswn, in 2017 to widespread critical acclaim.