Rapper Smino continues to allow his creative gifts to make room for him.
The St. Louis native is no stranger to allowing his artistry to connect him with the masses, so it was a no-brainer for him to join Captain Morgan’s recent “Follow the Captain” campaign.
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“I’m just always interested in partnerships that are actually interesting, you know what I mean?” Smino told Blavity. “First of all, it has to be something dope, but after that, it’s like, ‘OK, how much can I actually get involved?’ Not just be the face of something, but something where both sides are actually receptive to each other, and that is how it is with Captain Morgan.”
On Friday, he’ll join fellow musician Aminé for the Victor Cruz House Party to provide fans with the ultimate performance. For Smino, simply being around other dope creatives keeps him going.
“I just like to be around other cool, distinguished artists like myself,” the Luv 4 Rent MC said. “It’s inspiring to just see what they’ve been on and to just be in the same room with people who are putting on, doing our thing how we do. I’m always excited to be inspired.”
Much like he’s stepping outside his comfort zone to work alongside brands like Captain Morgan, Smino has another creative endeavor on his radar — making affordable, comfortable house fittings for people to enjoy, especially those who look like him.
“I want to make furniture,” he said. “It’s something that people are always going to use, but I want to make it look cooler and affordable for people in the hood.”
With the last of his label days underway, the possibilities are endless for the beloved rapper.
“I just recently went independent, so I’m in the final days of being on a label at the moment, so a lot of things are coming because I will have a lot more freedom to release in the schedule that I would like to,” Smino explained.
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He continued, “I have a cartoon show that I wrote, so I’m working on that and a couple of albums hopefully coming soon, but yeah, there’s a lot of things that I’m working on that are coming.”
In the immediate future, he’ll be heading back home to St. Louis for his annual Christmas concert and fundraising event, Kribmas, which he launched in 2016.
“When I was growing up, I wished that there was something like [Kribmas]; I remember the first time I did it, I saw the type of people it brought out, and I was just like, ‘These people need to know each other and know that they exist in the city so that they don’t feel crazy when they have a good idea or when they’re just being talented,'” Smino said. “It’s cool to have a room full of people that’s on the same page. The thing that they have in common is that they happen to f**k with Smino, but it’s like, ‘Nah, you think you’re coming for me, but you’re actually finding each other,’ and that’s my favorite thing about Kribmas.”
Ultimately, the plan is to turn the event into an academy or school for passionate creatives.
“It’s to the point where I’m working on making it an actual academy, a school, so people can connect and collaborate all the time, not just when we have the concert,” he added. “That’s why it’s important to me, because it really stimulates the young Black man. I do everything for my people and for where I’m from.”
