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Corbin (musician)

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Corbin
Corbin performing in Toronto, September 2017.
Background information
Birth nameCorbin Smidzik
Also known as
  • Spooky Black
  • Corbin
  • Lil Spook
  • Spooky Shart
Born (1998-02-20) February 20, 1998 (age 26)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
OriginSaint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2013–present

Corbin Smidzik (born February 20, 1998) better known as Corbin (previously known as Spooky Black and Lil Spook)[2] is an American singer-songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota and a member of the hip hop/R&B collective the Stand4rd.[3]

Career

Smidzik gained popularity on the internet through a series of solo releases on the website Soundcloud.[4] His first release Forest was put out in late 2013 and featured more of a hip hop sound with Smidzik rapping on every song, in contrast to his later and more recognized R&B-stylized singing.

By 2014, Smidzik was gaining mass exposure with the help of Soundcloud and YouTube. The video for the song "Without You", from the mixtape Black Silk (released in February 2014[5]), went viral, attaining more than a million views on video-sharing websites YouTube and WorldstarHipHop.[2] Noisey declared the video an "instant classic" and published an article titled "Is Spooky Black Going to Take Over the R&B Game?", while Consequence of Sound and Complex magazine named "Without You" one of the best songs of 2014.[4][6][7][8]

Smidzik is noted for releasing his material without promotion, and has frequently declined requests for interviews.[3][4][8] In August 2014, he released the EP Leaving and a music video for its track "DJ Khaled Is My Father".[9] By October, Smidzik was being managed by Canadian producer Doc McKinney.[2] In December, he premiered a new song, "Worn", under the new name Corbin.[10] On Twitter, Smidzik’s reason for the name change was because “Spooky Black is a dumb name.”[11]

Also in 2014, Smidzik and fellow Minnesota musicians Allan Kingdom, Psymun, and Bobby Raps formed the hip hop/R&B group the Stand4rd. They released their self-titled debut album, The Stand4rd, in November 2014, produced entirely by the group and Doc McKinney.[12][13][14] During November 2014, Corbin and the Stand4rd embarked on a US tour, which included a gig at SOB's in New York City where they were introduced by DJ Khaled.[3] The group ended up selling out all seven of the shows on their debut headlining tour.[15]

After the release of Couch Potato with Bobby Raps in 2015, Smidzik remained quiet and rarely did performances for 2 years. On January 16, 2017, Smidzik unexpectedly uploaded a song, "destrooy" onto his Soundcloud.[16] On June 25, 2017, he announced on Twitter that himself, Shlohmo, and D33J would be going on a North American tour later in the year.[17] Later, on August 24, Smidzik announced his debut album, Mourn, which was released on September 5, 2017 on Shlohmo's WeDidIt label.[18]

In American recording artist Janet Jackson's current State of the World Tour, she uses the song "Idle" from Corbin's Leaving EP as a video interlude before playing the song "What About".[19]

Discography

Albums

  • Mourn (2017)

Mixtapes

  • Forest (2013) (as Spooky Black)
  • Black Silk (2014) (as Lil Spook)
  • The Stand4rd (2014) (as Spooky Black) (w/The Stand4rd)

EPs

  • Leaving (2014) (as Spooky Black)
  • Couch Potato (2015) (with Bobby Raps)

References

  1. ^ "Corbin on the anger, isolation, and paranoia of his debut album". Dazed. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Trying to decode MN's viral sensation Spooky Black". Star Tribune. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Spooky Black & The Stand4d Perform at NYC's SOBs - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Look Meme, I'm Famemeous: The Year the Music Internet Left Blogs Behind". NOISEY. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Spooky Black "Leaving" EP - Mass Appeal". Mass Appeal. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Is Spooky Black Going to Takeover the R&B Game?". NOISEY. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Spooky Black shares new song "Worn" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  8. ^ a b Chris Mench. "Spooky Black "Without You" - The Best Songs of 2014 (So Far) - Complex UK". Complex UK. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  9. ^ "PAPERMAG: Meet Spooky Black, He's Kinda Like a Cross Between Yung Lean and King Krule". papermag.com. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  10. ^ "PAPERMAG: Spooky Black Changes His Name And Releases "Worn"". papermag.com. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  11. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/spooky-black-is-going-by-his-real-name-now-6634443
  12. ^ Eamon Whalen. "Meet The Minnesota Misfits Behind thestand4rd". The FADER. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  13. ^ Max Goldberg. "Spooky Black "Without You" - 11 Songs That Made 2014 The Year of the Rap One-Hit Wonder - Complex". Complex. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  14. ^ Zach Frydenlund. "Stream and Download thestand4rd's New Album From Spooky Black, Allan Kingdom, Bobby Raps, and Psymun - Complex UK". Complex UK. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  15. ^ "TheStand4rd @ Varsity Theater [Recap]". MADE. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  16. ^ "Corbin a.k.a. Spooky Black Returns With New Track "Destrooy"".
  17. ^ "Corbin (F.K.A. Spooky Black) Announces Tour With Shlohmo And D33J".
  18. ^ "Corbin FKA Spooky Black Announces Debut Album 'Mourn'". 11 February 2018.
  19. ^ Ant hony (13 October 2017). "Janet - Spooky Black (Video Interlude) & What About (Live - San Diego)" – via YouTube.
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