St. Louis, Missouri rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Smino finally dropping his 3rd full-length album. Emerging in the spring of 2017 off his impressive full-length debut blkswn & notable for being member of the Zoink Gang supergroup, this was followed up with his 2nd & 3rd mixtapes NØIR & She Already Decided ahead of signing with Motown Records following his departure from Interscope Records for his critically acclaimed sophomore effort Luv 4 Rent. Couple years later, Maybe in Nirvana is finally here.

After the intro, the first song “Dear Fren” lusciously starts by breaking down how different shit’s been for him whereas the funky “Ready Set Goku” produced by Kenny Beats stands out telling this chick that they might need to be alone since they don’t get along on top of going on a run as if he’s Jackie Joyner & her getting attached being a catastrophe in the making. The title track likens every day to a different style dabbling with plugg music instrumentally while the cloudy “Lee” talks his cuzzo keeping the Clipse with No Malice & that he’s been drinking.

“Tequan” featuring Raven Lenae gets together for a summery, acoustic pop rap joint advising to change your position while “NSYNC” goes for a generally laidback vibe altogether talking about being a gentleman who late night walks as if he’s a pimp. “Ms. Joyce” featuring Bun B brings a psychedelic trap flare to the table referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WWE Tag Team Champion Rikishi while “Hoe-nouns” featuring Reggie feels more like a Reggie song featuring Smino since Reggie takes up a bulk of it, but then “Glo-Fi” tropically ends the album by cautioning that he can’t be burnt out.

Fulfilling his Motown contract in favor of building up his own 0 Fatigue Records imprint, Maybe in Nirvana serves as a reflective & experimental prequel to Luv 4 Rent tackling themes of love alongside loss & self-discovery whilst maintaining Smino’s signature innovative style. He furthermore expands his artistic limits by fusing profound lyricism with immersive soundscapes that reaffirm his evolution as a musician & becoming more blatantly honest regarding his emotions.

Score: 3.5/5

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