ORLANDO, Fla. – Miami-based rapper Smiles Official is not an overnight sensation like social media may have people thinking, with over 350,000 followers on Instagram. In fact, he’s worked hard for many years and says he won’t stop until he’s reached the top.
Born and raised in Cutler Ridge, a suburb of Miami, Smiles Official was raised with the sounds of reggae, soca, soul and R&B music filling his family home. The talented rapper says not only has his Haitian and Jamaican family roots inspired his work, but growing up in south Florida, a cultural melting pot, allowed him to broaden his network and tap into different music styles ultimately defining him as an artist.
From deejaying in high school to the release of his first single “You Can Get Down” and even becoming a street team member for Slip-N-Slide Records, the young aspiring artist used every moment to learn what makes the music business work.
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In 2017, Smiles Official released “I Got A Bag” which quickly garnered over 1 million streams on Spotify. The smash single was the momentum that kept the rapper moving rapidly forward, releasing a new mixtape every year on his birthday, Aug. 11, which also coincides with the anniversary of hip hop dating back to Aug. 11, 1973.
Smiles Official has since released hits like “Bands In the Trap” featuring Tory Lanez.
His latest album Caribbean Blvd, entitled after the street he grew up on, includes hits like “So Sexy” featuring the iconic trailblazing female rapper Trina and influential figures in modern hip hop such as Grammy-award winning multi-platinum rapper and record executive Rick Ross among others.
Hear more about his journey, latest album, performing with Rick Ross, cofounding the record label Streets Enterprise, and the answer to the question “what something many people don’t know about Smiles Official” all on the latest episode of Riff On This.
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