If it felt like a little Midwestern swang was missing from this summer of Hot Girls and trap rap, have no fear: St. Louis’ own Smino is here to stake his claim on the waning warmer months with a new song, “Reverend,” intended to kick-start his buzz for 2019. “Reverend” is produced by prodxvzn with co-production by Manso Beats, who craft a bass-heavy loop out of a melancholy sample and thundering kick drums, over which Smino sings the praises of “that pink thang” and brags about doing “50 thousand tickets worldwide.”
“Reverend” is Smino’s first single of the year that doesn’t come from his 2018 album Noir. While “Klink,” “Z4L” with Bari and Jay2, and “LMF” have all helped to extend the range of Smino’s sophomore release along with his Hoopti Tour alongside Earthgang, it looks like he’s about ready to move on to his next album cycle with his latest single.
Of course, there’s no telling if that album will arrive before or after the promised joint album with Saba and Noname, but either way it will arrive with Smino’s profile higher than its ever been. Between the Hoopti Tour, Smino’s appearance on late night with Noname, and his fire guest verses on Dreamville’s “Sacrifices” and Chance The Rapper’s The Big Day, Smino is rapidly becoming an artist that music fans everywhere should get familiar with.
Noir is out now via Zero Fatigue LLC. Get it here.
