NOIRE

The Artist

Smino is a rapper and singer from St. Louis who rose to prominence as part of the Zero Fatigue collective alongside producer Monte Booker and artists like Ravyn Lenae and Bari. His sound braids together Midwestern soul, gospel cadences, jazz-inflected R&B, and a slippery, melodic flow that bends syllables until they feel almost liquid. He cuts a distinct figure in the late-2010s rap landscape, less interested in regional trends than in carving out a personal dialect that nods to both André 3000 and the church choirs of his upbringing. NOIR arrived as his second studio album following his 2017 debut blkswn, consolidating his reputation as one of the most stylistically singular voices in his generation of rappers.

The Album

NOIR was released in November 2018 through Zero Fatigue and Downtown Records, deepening the partnership between Smino and longtime collaborator Monte Booker, whose fingerprints sit all over the album's production. The record leans into warm, synth-soaked textures, off-kilter drum programming, and arrangements that feel as much like R&B suites as rap tracks. Features come from inside his musical family, including Bari, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae, alongside guest spots from Dreezy and Valee that root the album in a broader Midwestern hip-hop conversation. Thematically, it moves between desire, hometown pride, romance, and self-mythology, with Smino flexing his linguistic playfulness against a backdrop of late-night sensuality.

Listen For

Flow as instrument. Smino treats his voice less like a rapper's delivery system and more like another piece of the arrangement, bending vowels and stacking harmonies. Notice how "KOVERT" and "L.M.F." set that approach from the jump.

Monte Booker's production palette. Listen for the bouncy, almost rubbery drum patterns and warped synths that recur across the record. "KLINK" and "SPINZ" are good showcases for that signature texture.

Sequencing and mood shifts. The album moves through pockets of energy, from playful to sultry to introspective. Pay attention to how "WE GOT THE BISCUITS" and "HOOPTI" change the temperature in the middle stretch.

Guest chemistry. The features feel woven in rather than tacked on. Listen to how Dreezy trades energy with Smino on "FENTY SEX" and how Ravyn Lenae floats through "MF GROOVE".

St. Louis as a through-line. Hometown references, slang, and regional pride surface throughout, from car culture on "HOOPTI" to the closing statement of "VERIZON". The album functions partly as a love letter to where he comes from.