Smino will headline the virtual 2021 K-Ville Concert, according to a Monday Instagram announcement by Duke University Union.
Inspired mainly by Kanye West and Andreé 3000, the St. Louis rapper’s songs carry a strong hip-hop, funk and soul influence. He’s a member of Zoink Gang, a hip-hop group also featuring JID, Buddy and Guapdad 4000, as well as Ghetto Sage, a hip-hop trio also featuring Saba and Noname. Smino also founded Zero Fatigue, an independent record label based in Chicago and St. Louis.
Smino began his early career with a series of EPs and mixtapes, releasing his debut album, “blkswn,” in 2017. He released his sophomore project, “NOIR,” in 2018 and landed on the Billboard 200. Most recently, he released the single “MLK Dr” Jan. 18. He has nearly four million monthly listeners on Spotify, where his song “Kolors” has been streamed over 59 million times.
The virtual concert will take place Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Students who wish to attend can register on DukeGroups to receive a link to the Zoom call. More supporting acts will be announced later this week, per the announcement.
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Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.