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In 2012, Smino went by the stage name C. Smi, and was in a rap duo with his friend Bari Allen called "Young Dumb and Outta Control" (YDOC), where they released a mixtape titled Retail. They started to gain popularity locally but had a hard time getting their music out into the world. Smino then released his first solo mixtape, Smeezy Dot Com, and moved back to Chicago. At Columbia College Chicago, he met engineer Chris "Classik" Inumerable, who became his closest friend and is now his manager.

Today, Chris Smith Jr. from Missouri we can say was influenced by his musical family: his father plays keys, his mother sings, and his grandfather played bass guitar for Blues Hall of Fame musician Muddy Waters. Both his father and grandfather were given opportunities to take their music far, but they gave up their success to be with their families. When he was seven, his father gave him a set of drums, which he played in his church’s band, and also began rapping. He later moved to Chicago, Illinois for college under the wing of his older cousin, singer Drea Smith.