The Untold Truth Of Smokepurpp
Omar "Smokepurpp" Pineiro has collaborated with many of hip hop's rising stars, including XXXTentacion, Travis Scott, and Lil Pump, and his accolades stretch much further than the low-grade, grainy tracks his SoundCloud account has become synonymous with.
The Miami by way of Chicago artist signed a recording contract with Alamo Records in May 2017 — less than a year after he made heads bob with his Summer 2016 back-to-back releases, "Ski Mask" and "WORKHARDT." In September 2017, he released his first debut mix tape, Deadstar, which peaked at the no. 16 position on the Billboard top rap albums chart before signing to Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Records label.
He may not be as in-your-face and flamboyant as his friend, Lil Pump, but that doesn't mean he's any less talented. Which other rapper can say they went from being dismissed by their peers to collaborating with rap heavyweights Lil Yachty and Offset of Migos seemingly overnight? Not many.
So who's this gun-packing rap newcomer that has the industry in a trance with his grumbled vocals and unpolished beats? Let's find out as we discuss the untold truth of Smokepurpp.
From 'trash beats' to millions of views
He always had a thing for making music and beats. But unfortunately for him, his craft wasn't eliciting the type of response he was hoping for. In his high school, he eventually became known as the kid who was responsible for making "trash beats," he told XXL's Who Am I? series.
Those who dismissed his beats as nothing more than rubbish likely regret writing him off prematurely. The self-proclaimed "whiz kid" was always able to pick up on things easily as long as he put in enough practice. "Everything I try I get good at," he told the publication. And he was right, because after a short amount of time, he perfected his craft and released the track "Ski Mask" when he was still a high school student. He, as well as the naysayers, watched in amazement as the song quickly racked up millions of streams on his SoundCloud account.
What's in a name?
He decided to use the name Smokepurpp when he was still toying around with making rap beats that were being lambasted by his haters, and he chose the name in reference to a specific strain of marijuana, Pigeons and Planes reported. After setting up social media handles under that exact same name, he decided to give up on making beats since no one was particularly interested in them anyway.
He made the transition from producer to rapper, and the switcheroo happened so quickly, he never really got the chance to pick out a new rap moniker, he told DJ Whoo Kid. "The whole time I kept Smokepurpp and people just got used to that," he said. Hey, if it ain't broke, why fix it?
But for those who think he may leave the name Smokepurpp in the dust one day and claim a new nickname, there's no need to worry. Even though there was a bit of confusion at the start of his career — with people getting him confused with Miami Gardens rapper SpaceGhostPurrp who he openly feuded with — it seems like the name Smokepurrp is here to stay.
He knew it would happen
Long before he grabbed our attention with his mainstream track "Audi," Smokepurpp was in the lab cooking up hits with his friend and fellow Florida rapper, Lil Pump. Together, they formulated their flows, which the hip-hop lexicon now refers to as "mumble rap" — vastly indecipherable lyrics that are drowned out by bass-thumping beats.
During a joint interview with Vice's Noisey, Smokepurpp and Lil Pump give more insight into how their garbled lyrics paved the way for their success. Lil Pump was thrust into the limelight first after his track "D Rose" racked up millions of views on YouTube soon after its January 2017 release. And Smokepurpp may have been one of the few people who wasn't surprised by the song's popularity and how quickly the music world embraced him and his music partner. "Uh, no man. I knew we was fire," he told Noisey. "I knew this s**t was going to happen."
Talented, artistic, and clairvoyant, apparently.
No job? No problem
Many breakout artists schlep their way through a series of odd jobs before taking the music world by storm. Fellow SoundCloud artist Lil Xan worked as a street sweeper before he made his trek to the top of the music charts, and Brooklyn, N.Y. rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was a busboy before he blessed us with his song "Gummo." But Smokepurpp is different from his peers. "I've never had a job before," he told Pigeons and Planes during a September 2017 live interview.
There aren't too many people who can say they went from being a high school dropout to making more money than both of their parents combined, but fate was on the "Audi" rapper's side.
Is it possible that he'll leave his music career in the dust and get a job away from the spotlight? He considered it by saying, "I would like to probably have a job," before backtracking. "Nah not even. I don't even want to have a job. F**k that s**t," he said.
He has a story to tell
After moving from Cook County, Ill. to Opa-locka, Fla. as a child, he was surrounded by a gritty environment that helped shape some of his most popular tunes. "Guns are always around and s**t like that, and that's the reason why my music is kind of, like, ignorant because it's South Florida. It's like what I've always seen," he told XXL.
Most of his songs top off at under three-minutes long, but in that short period of time, the rapper typically makes references to firearms, such as on the track "Ski Mask" where he raps, "Keep that 30 right there by my waist," in reference to a semi-automatic pistol. In the music video, the rapper can also be seen pointing the firearm into the camera lens while dancing around a kitchen in a bullet proof vest, because nothing says "fashion" like some body armor.
It's not the most PG theme, but he's determined to stay true to his roots, telling Pigeons and Planes, "I'm not glorifying my s**t, I'm just telling my story."
Please break his heart
Less than a year after his debut mixtape was released, Smokepurpp had already racked up millions of views on his music videos, staked his claim on the Billboard charts, and the Bless Yo Trap MC was even announced as the headliner of the 2018 Monster Energy Outbreak Tour. Despite all of his success, he still had some goals he wanted to achieve, and one of his aspirations was to get his "heart broken," he told XXL. We can't imagine any of his diehard fans would be willing to do the honors. But, hey, crazier things have happened.
The rest of his goals don't require him getting his heart torn into two. "I'm not only a rapper, I'm an entertainer. I want to do everything. I want to do commercials, endorsements. I want to design. I designed this belt. This is my own belt. I'm not gonna sell them yet. I rolled out some merch; it sold out in 10 minutes." he said.
Producer-turned-rapper-turned business man. Is it too soon to call him a triple threat?
Turning a fart into art
There's no winning formula when it comes to garnering attention on the internet. Sometimes, it all falls down to pure luck and perfect timing, while other times, a viral sensation is born because they have that je n'ais se quoi that's impossible to pinpoint. To speak about his own web-based, overnight success, Smokepurpp sat down with Montreality and said, "There's no specific way to make art. Art is art. You could grab a mic and fart on that s**t and go viral," he said. Pee-yew!
As gross as that sounds (and smells), we get his point. He's a true testament to how the internet has opened doors for countless people, allowing them to explore their creativity all while making an insane amount of cash.
He ended his point by giving some encouragement to others who want to follow his blueprint. "Like, you could really do anything," he continued. "If that's what you wanna do, do it."
He's not a fan of rapper Russ, and (probably) vice versa
After the passing of fellow rapper Lil Peep, who died from an overdose of Xanax and fentanyl (via TMZ), rapper Russ took to his Twitter to write: "Abusing xanax and other pills drugs etc in private cuz your [sic] depressed/other mental issues is one thing(still not good)..constantly recording yourself doing drugs and putting up pics and videos of doing it is when you start CHOOSING to publicly glorify it and make it an image." He may have came across a bit preachy but overall, his tweet was pretty harmless and on point, right?
Well, Smokepurpp took offense to it and wasn't pleased by Russ' statement at all, and he obviously took it as a sign of disrespect to the deceased rapper. So he fired back in a since-deleted tweet directed at Russ, which simply read (via Billboard), "Shut the f**k up u b***h," and another tweet that stated, "Don't ever use someone's death to make ur self look cool or as an example, lame as f**k."
At the time, we knew we'd never see these two squash their beef, and a collaboration between Russ and Smokepurpp definitely wasn't in the cards either. But in a surprising twist, Smokepurpp made a bold declaration that shocked his supporters...
He and Lil Pump joined the anti-drug movement
With the release of his 2017 mixtape, Deadstar, it was clear that Smokepurpp was aware that his life was headed down a very dangerous path. The cover art for the mixtape depicted the rapper at his own funeral, and he even posed inside of a coffin with his eyes closed and a bottle of Hennessy perched next to him, because who wouldn't want to take a sip of cognac once they reach the pearly gates? Anyway, we digress...
It's an eery image that many hoped wouldn't turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially since the rap community was still reeling from losing Lil Peep at the young age of 21.
Thankfully, begging, pleading, and an intervention weren't required to get Smokepurpp to see the light. A little over a month after Lil Peep passed away, the "123" rapper took to his Twitter to declare he was ready to kick his prescription drug habit once and for all. "We leaving Xanax in 2017," he tweeted.
His friend, Lil Pump, second that emotion by posting an Instagram video, along with a caption that read: "2018 we going even more crazy love y'all ——(btw I don't take xanz no more f**k Xanax 2018)."
Kicking a habit isn't easy, but at least Smokepurpp and his wingman can encourage and support each other every step of the way.