Smiley – Made It
After posting up over 125 million global streams and earning acclaim from Rolling Stone, UPROXX, Pitchfork, The FADER, and more, rising Toronto rapper and OVO Sound artist Smiley serves up the evocative music video for his new single “Made It” today. It’s yet another standout from his tastemaker-approved new project.
In the visual, Smiley raps in the desert accompanied by a pair of models. Together, they cruise the open highway in a hi-tech fresh three-wheeler before the clip jumps through psychedelic dissolves to scenes in the back of a sneaker store and with his cohorts under neon lights. The video mirrors the ebb and flow of the track’s high register-inflected rhymes and woozy beat-craft.
Right out of the gate, Buy or Bye 2 has already transformed into a critical phenomenon. Complex Canada named it among “The 25 Best Canadian Albums of 2021” and claimed, “When he strategically goes deep, Smiley will suddenly yank your heartstrings.” In addition to plugs from HipHopDX and more, Complex US stated, “Between the first Buy. Or .Bye and Buy or Bye 2, Smiley has shown he’s willing to put in the work to keep growing, as he ascends to the top.”
It’s just the beginning though for Smiley…
A sequel to 2018’s Buy. or Bye., this new release is an exercise in effortless swagger. Using wry wit and an agile flow, Smiley laces sleek, menacing beats with memorable hooks and subtly extravagant flexes. With an inimitable flow and instantly memorable bars, Smiley is rapidly on the rise.
Buy or Bye 2 Tracklist:
1. When I Die
2. In My Zone
3. Moving Different
4. Venice Beach ft. Golde London
5. 38 ft. Pressa
6. Over The Top ft. Drake
7. Krazy Girl
8. Valet
9. Beat It ft. Yung Bleu
10. Breakdown
11. Streets Fix
12. Ghetto
13. How Can I Miss ft. Ohgeesy
14. Made It
15. Topic ft. Duvy
ABOUT SMILEY
Toronto rapper Smiley has a knack for drama. The 24-year-old made his name the last few years delivering poisonous rhymes in a soft voice, a captivating tactic that has won him a host of fans across North America and beyond. Whether he’s making terrifying murder ballads like 2018’s “Body” or pop-rap anthems like this year’s “In My Zone,” he demonstrates an eye for details and one of rap’s most unique flows. It’s no surprise he’s caught the attention of one of his city’s biggest stars: Drake. In 2017, Smiley released the menacing “Hit,” sparking online buzz and inspiring Drake’s camp to share the song. The OVO boss would later say that the younger artist’s dark yet colorful work inspired his 2018 epic, Scorpion. Smiley’s string of boundary-pushing tapes in the ensuing years earned him a deal with OVO Sound in 2021, and resulted in “Over the Top,” where Smiley and Drake unite to toast the breakout artist’s come-up. It was a striking introduction for many and became Smiley’s first single to hit the Hot 100. It’s no wonder that, as he prepares his debut album Buy or Bye 2, he’s gearing up to take his sound to the world’s stage. That burst of success afforded him some space to think about what he wants out of music and life. As a result, Buy or Bye 2 shows Smiley at his most confident, celebrating making it out of the hood to live among the stars while working hard to become one in his own right. It’s clear with the success he’s achieved so far, that he’s well on his way.