Corbin

Initially known as Spooky Black before going by his first name, vocalist Corbin Smidzik gained a dedicated cult following for his bleak, funereal brand of lo-fi R&B and hip-hop. The reclusive artist has routinely refused interviews, letting his recordings and music videos do the talking. Born in Baltimore, Maryland but based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he made his debut in 2013, when he was only 15 years old, with an EP titled Forest. Unlike his later material, the release featured Smidzik's rapping on every track, and was an exercise in horror-tinged hip-hop. This was followed in early 2014 by Black Silk, which marked his switch to R&B, debuting his smooth crooning voice. The endearingly amateur video for the track "Without You" became a viral sensation, and several websites named it one of the best songs of the year. Another release, Leaving, appeared that year, garnering comparisons to Yung Lean and King Krule. In addition, Smidzik formed a hip-hop/R&B group called the Stand4rd along with Allan Kingdom, Psymun, and Bobby Raps. Their self-titled album appeared in November, and the group embarked on a sold-out headlining tour of the United States.

By the end of the year, Smidzik had dropped his original moniker and simply went by the name Corbin. He and Bobby Raps released an EP titled Couch Potato in 2015, but Corbin largely stayed quiet for the next two years. After unexpectedly releasing a song titled "Destrooy" in early 2017, his debut album Mourn appeared later in the year. Significantly more cathartic than much of his earlier work, with Corbin nearly shouting on several tracks, the album was produced by D33J and Shlohmo and was released by their collective, WeDidIt. The three artists then toured North America together. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi