On Monday Smino teased a “new journey” on Twitter, and on Tuesday he took the first step with “Rice & Gravy”, his latest single with producer Monte Booker.
The pair worked together as recently as last summer, when they dropped “Backstage Pass” featuring The Drums. Their chemistry is obvious, with Booker’s soulful production providing a rich backdrop for Smino’s smooth singing and cracked raps. “Rice & Gravy” keeps a woodwind riff bubbling on the stove, sprinkling in hand claps and stuttering drums for texture. “That’s what made me,” Smino croons, “Momma baby (Uh, uh), only son in her house/ She had to blame me, any time some shit went down.”
In a social media statement released hours before the song, Smino hinted at label issues and seemed to promise more tunes coming soon. “dawg I went thru so much bullsht tryna release music over da past couple years,” he wrote. “I’m jus happy af to begin my new journey tonite… I feel like a brand new artist rn.”
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Spoon up some “Rice & Gravy” below.
Earlier this year, Smino shared the track “MLK Dr” and contributed to the Denzel Curry-Kenny Beats remix EP UNLOCKED 1.5. As for Monte Booker, he recently contributed production to reggie’s new song, “Ain’t Gon Stop Me”.
dawg I went thru so much bullsht tryna release music over da past couple years I’m jus happy af to begin my new journey tonite… I feel like a brand new artist rn.. 🏆
— Smi (@smino) May 17, 2021
