Travis Ellison
Midwest native Smino is no stranger to Minnesota. Just last year he was the supporting act in front of a packed crowd at First Avenue during SZA’s ctrl tour. What makes the Hoopti Tour such an intriguing experience is the creative promotion used leading up to his tour.
On Smino’s Instagram account you can view a skit of him visiting a used car shop, looking to buy a reliable hoopti (old car) for his upcoming tour. The car salesman closes the deal and Smino is seen driving down the road in his new hoopti, with his crew, as they discuss the tour.
Fast-forward to Varsity Theatre on the night of the show, Smino’s tour was enhanced with performances by a strong supporting cast in Phoelix and EarthGang. EarthGang, a group recently signed to J. Cole’s label Dreamville are also familiar with Minnesota. They performed at 7thStreet Entry during their tour last year.
EarthGang got the crowd pumped up. They even invited a handpicked group of fans to join them on stage to show off their dance moves.
Before Smino took the stage, the stage itself took its final transformation as the crowd awaited. There were already flashy rims and stacked car tires arranged around the stage, but what was revealed next, from under a dusty car cover, was Smino’s own hoopti.
Smino took the stage as the headlights on his hoopti lit up the faces in the crowd. As Smino stepped into the light, his Minnesota Wild jersey was revealed to the crowd. It wasn’t until he turned his back while performing that the name on the back of his #0 jersey was revealed. It read: Hoopti.
Smino hails from St. Louis, MO but he has represented Minnesota with his jersey selections both on this tour and the SZA tour where he wore a Minnesota Vikings jersey.
Smino brought energy and quality vocals all night long. His band and background singer performed outstandingly and the crowd surely agreed. Fans left raving about the performance, mentioning that he’s an amazing artist that puts his all into it.
Smino’s Hoopti Tour is only six shows in thus far. They will be on the road through May 17th, hitting over 25 more locations. So Smino and the crew will most definitely be riding that hoopti till the wheels fall off.
