006 Smino’s Kountry Kousins Tour Hits LA
The St. Louis Artist Fails to Disappoint; Seeing Your Favorite Artist Multiple Times Pays Dividends; Get Hip to Samara Cyn NOW
While plenty of fantastic artists exist and perform nationwide, they shouldn’t be treated like a checklist. Like an artist’s catalogue, their stage presence and live performance evolve. It can be as subtle as Kendrick’s breath control between now and his good kid, m.A.A.d city era, or as overt as Katy Perry’s current viral clips. Seeing an artist multiple times is akin to seeing your plants thrive, your dreams coalesce into reality, your children grow. Don’t let it be a one-and-done; let it be a two-way (long-distance) relationship in full bloom.
Smino’s Kountry Kousin’s Tour marks my fourth (maybe technically fifth) time seeing him. I remember first listening to Smino at my college radio station with some of my music buddies when my friend played “Glass Flows” off blkswn. The undulating melodies, the mixed flows, the Monte Booker production – it was all too much for 19-year-old Patu. Something about him soon clicked for me, leading me to first see him at Soulection Experience in 2017 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Expo Hall. I saw him at Santa Ana’s Observatory, The Hollywood Palladium (with JID), went to the Luv 4 Rent listening event, and back at the Shrine eight years later.
Each concert remains a unique experience, reading like highlighted excerpts in a journal. They had their merits but Kountry Kousins felt like the best Smino has ever been. The live band, the balance between banter and performance, and the stage presence seemed stronger than in previous live iterations.
It starts with his opener, Samara Cyn. We arrived too late for the first opener, blaccmass, but we could hear the Tennessee-born, LA-based rapper’s dainty vocals vibrating through the hall upon arrival. Most of the crowd wasn’t hip to her songs yet – I felt like the only one vibing to “Pop N Olive,” where she brought out Sherwyn (who also appeared in last week’s Aftershow recap at Duckwrth’s All American Freakshow). Her 2024 album, The Drive Home, is a worthy jumping-on point and she just dropped a VEVO DSCVR video for her latest single, “Bad Brain.” While her music speaks for itself, time is precious as an opener, and she stopped mid-song to call out two audience members who needed medical attention, garnering extra points in my book.
After Samara ended, we fully expected to inch up during the intermission while people left to buy drinks and hit the loo. We maneuvered through the crowd but only marginally progressed through the stage because we were in the presence of real Smino fans. We spent the intermission talking about the previous Smino shows we went to and how that was the last time we literally saw one another. As the live band set up behind the set design of a fake house and a porch, the anticipation began.
Smino walked through the front door, donning a cheetah-lined jacket with matching pants and under-eye patches to perform “No L’s.” Though Smino has a larger portfolio over his decade-long career, he left in a lot of deeper cuts for a set spanning TWO whole hours. He performed songs across his four albums, loosies near and dear to my heart (like “Backstage Pass” from Madden NFL 21), and some of his SoundCloud gems. He mixed in great live instrumentation, special arrangements, balanced crowd banter, simple and effective visuals displayed over the set, and some skits mixed in.
Smino is fully settled into who he is and doesn’t stray too far from his brand. He isn’t trying to jump into the crowd or sing beyond his range but he will interact with the crowd to receive some custom-made pants (and wear them for the rest of the show). He would introduce songs in a comedic or heartfelt way, like having a fake pizza delivery driver enter the house to introduce “Netflix & Dusse.” He didn’t overcommit to the songs that got hot on TikTok like Monte Booker’s “Kolors” and returned to encore historic deep-cut “Amphetamine.” It was clear a lot of his fans went way back and stumbled through his melodies as I do. He’s a crowd pleaser without overly pleasing the crowd.
Getting to really know your artist, amongst other fans, is unparalleled bliss. My friends and I were singing some of the lesser-known ad-libs to each other and not only is it funny as hell hearing your homeboy croon “sweet potatoes” during “Maybe in Nirvana” or whispering “salamander” during “Z4L,” but it might even be too specific for other people in the audience. It felt like spotting a movie Easter egg before anybody else does. Not saying I’m the most dedicated Smino fan, but there’s an innate, genuine artist fandom there. It’s not fueled by nostalgia like a 20th anniversary tour of their top-selling album, but something born out of natural repeat listening.
I’ve never met Smino before. The most interaction I’ve ever had was him liking a photo of him I posted after that Soulection Experience eight years back. Other than the chances of a possible interview, I don’t really think I need to meet him or tell him how grateful I am because I’m content with the live experiences I’ve happily attended. It’s a testament to how he honors and respects his fans with a show that pulls no punches. When the next tour comes around, I’ll be in attendance doing it all again.