Smino & Cruza

St. Louis rapper/singer Smino combines hip-hop with funk and soul influences, much like contemporaries Isaiah Rashad, Saba, and Ab-Soul. Debuting in the early 2010s with a series of mixtapes and EPs, he issued his official debut, blkswn, in 2017 and marked his first appearance on the Billboard charts the following year with NOIR. Born Christopher Smith, Jr., he was raised by a family of musicians who provided early exposure to jazz, blues, and gospel music, which he would go on to blend with his own influences, Kanye West and Dungeon Family. A drummer since childhood, Smino p...