Neo-soul rapper Smino recently made his debut on triple j’s Like A Version stage to perform a cover of Outkast’s “Roses.”
“Roses” was released in 2003 as the third single from OutKast’s double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and is lyrically considered to be a diss song aimed at superficial women. It is the only song on The Love Below (André 3000’s half of the album) to feature a guest verse from Big Boi and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Smino is often compared to the Atlanta group and regarding their influence on his style of rap, he told triple j “There’s not too much that they didn’t influence in my generation and my world of Black music, and in general. I think they always pushed the boundaries and that’s something that I strive to do as Smino.”
Like A Version is a weekly segment on Australian radio station, triple j where an artist performs one of their own songs and a cover of a song that they love.
Watch Smino’s performance below.
