{"id":142402,"date":"2025-08-03T06:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T10:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=gig_review&p=142402"},"modified":"2025-08-03T10:28:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T14:28:02","slug":"osheaga-2025-i-smino-rapper-of-the-hour","status":"publish","type":"gig_review","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/gig_review\/osheaga-2025-i-smino-rapper-of-the-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"Osheaga 2025 I Smino, Rapper of the Hour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Critically acclaimed artist Smino delivered a compelling performance on Saturday night at Osheaga, switching seamlessly between styles with his trademark boundless energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 33-year-old rapper, who has a string of musical projects under his belt, took to the stage with intensity, setting the tone for the show to come. He opened with the track \u201cKLINK\u201d from his second album Noir<\/em>, released in 2018, and followed it up with \u201c90 Proof.\u201d The latter was produced in collaboration with J. Cole, a detail that Smino did not forget to mention, emphasizing how much this song had changed his life due to its popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He quickly charmed the audience\u2014which included both longtime fans and new faces\u2014by interacting with them frequently. For nearly an hour, Smino shared the mic with his DJ and sidekick NOS: the duo’s energy, particularly during \u201cI Deserve,\u201d was striking. The musicians’ involvement, with a strong presence of electric guitar and drums, also added dimension to the rapper’s set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Born Christopher Smith Jr., the American artist is known for the R&B influences in his music. His performance of the song \u201cWild Irish Rose,\u201d among others, demonstrates his impeccable mastery of his voice, which transitions flawlessly from low to high notes and remains highly controlled during rap verses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special mention goes to his performance of \u201cPro Freaks,\u201d a track produced with Fatman Scoop and Doechii\u2014the big star of the festival’s first day\u2014which had the crowd screaming and jumping until the end of the show. One thing is certain: he set the stage perfectly for hip-hop fans waiting for headliner Tyler, the Creator at the end of the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cr\u00e9dit photo: Tim Snow<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n