Sylk Smoov

North Side Beginnings

Sylk Smoov, born Floyd Harrison, is a rapper from the north side of St. Louis, Missouri, and one of the first artists from the city to reach a national rap audience. St. Louis had a small recording scene before him: the first local rap record, "The Power of Soul," was cut by Dangerous D and DJ Charlie Chan in 1987. In 1991 Sylk Smoov became the first rapper from St. Louis to sign with a major label when he reached a deal with Mercury Records.

The 1991 Debut

His self-titled debut album came out in 1991 on PWL America Records. He relocated to Los Angeles to make it, and the record was produced largely by Erich "The Hypester" Krause, Courtney Branch and Tracy Kendrick, with turntables by Ozell "Cool Odie" Johnson Jr. Two singles charted on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs: "Klientele" reached No. 27 and "Trick Wit a Good Rap" reached No. 14. The Source reviewed the album in December 1991, gave it three out of five, and wrote that he "comes out hard and puts St. Louis on the hip-hop map." The review compared his style to Too Short or MC Breed crossed with Barry White, describing hardcore lyrics delivered in a smooth, mellow voice. The album appeared in the magazine's review section alongside records by Scarface, Del the Funky Homosapien and AMG.

West Coast Sound in the Midwest

Sylk Smoov's work with producers who were also working with AMG and DJ Quik helped bring a G-funk-influenced sound to St. Louis. That West Coast influence became dominant in the city's rap by the mid-1990s, years before the Nelly era. In 1994 he contributed "Drop Down" to the House Party 3 soundtrack.

Later Releases

After his major-label period, Sylk Smoov returned to St. Louis and worked in construction. He kept recording on a smaller scale, with local projects that include a collaboration with Soundproof Syndicate, ID-Ego-Superego (1999), and the CD single "Mob Wit Me" (2001). In 2004 he released his second full album, Cat Action 25-8, on Cat Action Music, and performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas, where he opened for Dizzee Rascal. Local histories of St. Louis hip hop still name him as one of the scene's pioneers.