Smoothie Lou with the album release today, "Garry"

 Gary, the highly anticipated album from Hamilton versatile rapper, singer, producer, engineer, proud queer and BIPOC artist, Smoothie Lou, is officially out today (via Smoothie Gang Entertainment), exclusively on Bandcamp. Following the single releases of Leftover Crack, Miami Vices and Back2 (Baseboosted), Gary is a work of hip-hop ambition, surmounting against all odds as a dedicated work to an absent and drug addicted father. “My father lied to, cheated, stole from, bullied and hurt everyone that ever cared about him. But to his credit, he was committed to cocaine and I guess I have to respect that dedication. In honour of that, this album is dedicated to my father Gary, but with much more spite than someone with a better father-son relationship would create,” shares Smoothie Lou. Listen to the album exclusively on Bandcamp now (arriving on streaming platforms September 11) and watch the music video for album focus track, Queen and Spadina, here, directed by K-Yall.

Included with the album release today, Smoothie Lou has put together an online immersive booklet detailing song lyrics along with family photos of both Smoothie as a new born, and his father. It serves as a deep dive into Smoothie Lou’s world and life and ultimately everything that influenced and is part of Gary. Take a dive in here.

Gary was recorded, engineered and produced at Smoothie Studios in Hamilton, with the help of fellow producer, hall. The album is dedicated to Smoothie’s father but also tells the honest and open story of the rapper dealing with his own issues of addiction and ultimately overcoming them.

The first single from the album, Leftover Crack, is a dark introduction to the story being told on Gary, Miami Vices is a more fun and upbeat approach to the nostalgia and often “rose coloured glasses” that come with being an addict in recovery, and Back2 (Baseboosted) is the bookend of an addict’s journey, highlighting the ups and downs that come with recovery but ultimately telling the story of Smoothie Lou and his growth and triumphant feat of learning that the monster inside him can still come out and play without needing to be fuelled by narcotics, and the practice of that.

“The album was originally called ‘Crack’ but I wanted to add the personal touch of my father’s name, which in itself is synonymous with crack anyway,” further explains Smoothie Lou. “Garrison Vincent Stone, if I'm to believe what he told my mother; though he was a pathological liar so I won't be sure till I check his ID. Gary was an addict, the definition of an addict. His picture could be right in the dictionary beside ‘crackhead,’ he was fucking crazy. My dad had at least 6 children and that was all allegedly in pursuit of creating a village of his own children and wives, and they were all to be of different races. Very bizarre.”

Everything Smoothie Lou does is methodical and intentional which sets him a part from the rest (and probably why he’s also released 172 tracks to date on streaming services). Being a proud queer and BIPOC artist of African American Decent, he advocates for awareness, sensitivity, and inclusivity within his music and community.

“Who doesn’t have trouble showing their real face to the world,” says Smoothie Lou. “Being who you are is best. Be who you are. Leftover crack doesn’t exist, but I do. I’m the metaphor of crack my dad made and then ran away from. It’s a lighthearted take on a lot of drama and I wanted this album to be more about the trauma than him.”

Another thing that sets Smoothie Lou a part from the rest is that he doesn’t write his lyrics in advance, at all. Instead, it all comes together while standing at the mic. “I don’t write. I just get on the mic and say what I say. One of the reasons I don’t write is to remove the middleman and let my subconscious say what it wants to, rather than me. The creation is really free form.”

Leftover Crack, Miami Vices and Back2 (Baseboosted) have received praise and coverage from Exclaim! (Eh! List playlist), WWETV, The Indy Review, and BTPM The Bridge’s The Scene, among others.

To celebrate the album release in his home town of Hamilton, Smoothie Lou is playing a sold-out show tonight (The Crackbaby Shower), at Emerson 109 Pub with support from Sugar Report. But be sure to stayed tuned for more from Smoothie Lou in the coming weeks as the journey with Gary unfolds.

Adds Smoothie Lou: “[It’s] an album 25 years in the making; Gary is my farewell letter to the father I never had.”

MORE ABOUT SMOOTHIE LOU:

An independent artist from Hamilton, Ontario, Smoothie Lou is a versatile rapper, singer, producer, and engineer. Influenced by a range of artists including Kid Cudi, Logic, Migos and Linkin Park, he weaves confident rhymes with heartfelt lyrics. A graduate of the Metalworks Institute, Smoothie Lou is also a proud queer and BIPOC artist who advocates for awareness, sensitivity, and inclusivity within his music and community. At nearly 8 years in addiction recovery, Smoothie Lou frequently talks about his past and present struggles with drugs and alcohol and the impact it’s had on his upbringing. Beyond his recorded works, Smoothie Lou is an active participant in the local music scene, performing at festivals like Supercrawl and FreshUp Fest in Hamilton, as well as OddFest in Cambridge.