Sylk Smoov

Floyd Harrison, better known as Sylk Smoov, is an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri.[1]

Biography

Harrison was born in north St. Louis.[2] In 1991, performing as Sylk Smoov, he signed a deal with Mercury Records, making him the first rapper from St. Louis to sign with a major record label.[3][4] His debut album, also called Sylk Smoov, was released on PWL America in 1991. Two singles were released from the album: "Klientele" and "Trick Wit a Good Rap".[2] These peaked at #27 and #14 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart, respectively.[5] He subsequently contributed the song "Drop Down" to the soundtrack of the 1994 movie House Party 3.[6] Having traveled to Los Angeles to make his debut album, he subsequently returned to St. Louis to work in the construction industry prior to the release of his second album, Cat Action 25-8, in 2004.[2] The same year, he also performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas,[7] where he opened for Dizzee Rascal.[8]

Critical response

Sylk Smoov was reviewed favorably in the Source, which gave it a rating of 3 out of 5. The review stated that Smoov "...delivers hardcore lyrics in a smooth, mellow style that sounds like a cross between Too Short or MC Breed and Barry White."[9] Robert Christgau was less favorable in his review of the album, which he gave a "neither" rating,[10] corresponding to an album which, according to Christgau, "...may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."[11]

Discography
  • Sylk Smoov (PWL America, 1991)
  • Cat Action 25-8 (Cat Action Music, 2004)

References
  1. Johnson, Kevin (2004-03-11). "Sylk Smoov Gets Back In The Game". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  2. "The Best St. Louis Hip-Hop Musicians of All Time". St. Louis Magazine. 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  3. Hamilton, Keegan (2008-10-22). "Old School: Unearthed in a cluttered storeroom, a pair of vintage St. Louis hip-hop recordings help tell the history of rap". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  4. Johnson, Kevin (2006-10-01). "On the rap map: St. Louis' party style sets scene apart". PopMatters. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  5. "Sylk Smoov Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  6. Greenberg, Adam. "House Party 3 [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  7. Johnson, Kevin C. (2004-03-14). "Young Bands, Go South By Southwest". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  8. Harper, Jordan (2004-03-17). "Leaving on a Jet Plane". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  9. "Sylk Smoov". The Source. December 1991. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  10. Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "Sylk Smoov". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
  11. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons". Retrieved 2018-12-19.
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