Album Review: Rap’s Swiss Army Knife
Smino is back with his sophomore project and continues to make every style he executes look easy.
Written and illustrated by Mark Yoder
St. Louis rapper Smino began turning heads with his silky and soulful debut album blkswn, where he showed listeners an impressive versatility, smoothly jumping from falsetto declarations of love to mumbled lines about his sexual exploits. The album featured heavy production from Chicago producer Monte Booker, whose thick blends of jazz- and funk- infused beats were also a key ingredient in setting the album apart from its contemporaries. Now, a little more than a year later, Smino is back with NOIR, hoping to build on what he started with blkswn.
In relation to blkswn, NOIR has a noticeably brighter sound — it values having fun more than its predecessor did. While Smino has yet to pen a hit single, he focuses more on making a complete album experience. There are no skippables on this album, and each song flows nicely into the next. The cover art depicts him relaxing on a couch and watching a movie, and that is what he wants the album to be: something you can sit back and enjoy from start to finish.
When compared to uninspired rap and R&B sounds that some have come to believe is representative of the entire genre, NOIR serves as a reminder of the fresh air and originality still out there. Inspired by artists such as Young Thug and Travis Scott who blur the line between rapping and singing with heavy autotuning, Smino shows off that he can sing better than most rappers. But unassisted by copious sound editing and effects, he sets himself apart from other artists, likening himself more to older hip-hop acts such as Andre 3000 and Bone Thugz-n-Harmony.
Photo courtesy of Zero Fatigue, Downtown, and Interscope
But don’t be distracted by the singing talent alone, as Smino can rap as well if not better than the best MCs of today. Smino frequently bends his words to create unique rhymes and packs his verses tightly with clever wordplay and obscure references, with lines like “Voulez-vous cou', don't lay up/ If she ain't my boo, I'm ghost, that's Raina” on “KRUSHED ICE.” He has endless lines worthy of a laugh and a rewind to confirm what you’ve heard.
Producer Monte Booker provides the perfect backdrop for Smino’s eccentric lines and deliveries, creating beats filled with jazzy chords and intricate percussion, just as he did on blkswn. Anyone bored of overused rap beats with rattling hi-hats, tight snares, and rumbling 808s should be refreshed by what Monte has been able to sonically accomplish here. No two songs are the same and the warm sounds are thickly layered and mixed to perfection.
The album opens with Smino’s girlfriend whispering about the album’s title, leading into some minimal production that gives Smino room to jump all over his vocal range. The next track, “L.M.F” is a definite highlight, peppered with odd references together and rhyme schemes that no one on the planet would think of — he somehow rhymes the words “Japanese,” “champagne,” and “concrete.”
The production dips into various genres from samba groove organs on “TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD” to heavy jazz influence on “SPINZ” and some more soulful cuts like “WE GOT THE BISCUITS.” Smino loves to try his hand at many different sounds, which sometimes seems unfocused, but his unique vocals help aid in continuity.
“HOOPTI” is another standout, with tasteful piano chords and a driving beat. He raps “I'm a lion, I'm a Mayan, I feel like Terrence Howard/ I'm like Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum and a fifty/ Roll Luigi, wood stack like a teepee.” Referencing film, ancient history, video games, and street knowledge all in a tight four bars is a skill few could pull off as well as Smino.