Soho Smithers

Long Island rapper SoHo Smithers isn’t doing it for the money, for the fame, for the women. He doesn’t give a shit about album sales, or fitting his music into some neat “category.” He’s doing this because he can’t imagine doing anything else, and for him—unlike a lot of his prefabricated peers—there isn’t anything else. As a result, he’s creating some of the most honest, raw hip-hop out there.

Growing up, life threw some harsh realities before him. But these experiences served to teach him lessons more important than anything he would learn in school. Continually curious—and driven—he learned quickly, and learned to focus on his power within. As a teen growing up in Roosevelt, LI, he began to listen to hip-hop, and started writing down his ideas and life experiences as lyrics—empowering and orchestrating his self-expression from within his culture.

It wasn’t long before hip-hop consumed SoHo. But he soon grew restless again, and was no longer content to take part in the writing and performance of it. The tech revolution of the last few years has made it possible for anyone to create full-blown productions from their own bedroom. Before long, SoHo was creating beats using several different programs on his PC.

SoHo began collaborating with two lifelong friends, forming the 3-man crew Illumanazis / Society Sucks. From there, he started passing out a collection of some of his tracks to friends, and the response was overly enthusiastic. A lot of these people passed the music along to their friends—who passed it along to their friends—and so on. That word of mouth response only pushed him on further—and just a year later, at age 21, Smithers is finishing his debut mixtape, SuperCaliFragaListicSohoOnSomeDopeShit.

The moment you put on one of SoHo Smithers’ tracks, you know what the buzz is about: his music is completely forward-thinking—and yet captures the vibe of the original hip-hop pioneers. It is music that’s hard to put in a box, yet sounds like something you’ve known all along. Mostly, it’s music for people who are tired of the foolishness and commercialism of the rap industry, and are looking for true hip-hop.

For the immediate future, Smithers will be finishing SuperCaliFragaListicSohoOnSomeDopeShit, and then aggressively promoting it. He also hopes to produce other artists, continue his collaborations, and one day open his own studio. As he riffs in “Eyes on the Prize,” “I got my eyes on the finish line / mind set on my conquest / Nothing but clear views in my rearview / And at the top is where I’ll rendezvous.” Today he’s proud to be one MC who’s giving Long Island a voice on the global hip-hop scene.

After just a few listens to his soon-to-be-classic work, it is obvious SoHo Smithers is destined to provide a vibrant alternative to the tired rap scene. Listeners today can be happy they have a chance to be part of what will no doubt be a hell of a ride.