“I feel like when I dropped [2020 album] Street Side Effects, I was in ‘album mode’ because I’d signed a deal,” K-Trap tells Apple Music. “It’s like I had to force that mode, I had to sound like I was in that mode, I had to try and make different kinds of songs. But I wasn’t there mentally, or even spiritually. It was just something I had to do. But now, this is ‘album mode.’ It’s the level up.” The South London MC and UK drill pioneer has come a long way from standing on the frontlines of an emerging scene, balaclava on, conjuring vivid street dispatches over brooding, dark productions. The nightmarish world depicted on 2017 debut mixtape The Last Whip is one in which he was entrenched and determined to leave behind. That transition has spanned four more solo mixtapes, two collaborative projects—with Blade Brown and Headie One respectively—and a studio album courtesy of a major-label record deal that ultimately left him feeling disillusioned. “I’ll never shy away from talking about Street Side Effects,” he says, “but this is my debut album. SMILE? is me making a conscious decision about what I want an album to be. I want my album to sound like this.” SMILE? is an album of juxtapositions, both musically and thematically, as Trapo meditates on his past life, navigates survivor’s guilt, and seeks to finally make peace with his new place in the world. The triumphant aura of “Victory Lap” is punctuated by stark reflections on lost friends, funeral costs, and prison letters. Later, he trades trapstar boasts with Blade Brown, sounding like South London’s Tony Montana and Sosa, over Detroit-inspired synths on “Mobsters.” The larger-than-life, supervillain menace of muscular drill cut “TBC” is neutralized by the breathtaking introspection of “Next to You” and “Thing for You,” before Trapo accelerates once again into the darkness over the ricocheting percussion of “Old School Era.” Ultimately, he leaves no doubt as to where his priorities lie on final track, “Grown Decisions”: “This is me. This is where I’m at now,” K-Trap says of the album’s redemptive arc. Below, he gives us a track-by-track breakdown of the album. “Intro” “That’s [presenter and DJ] Tiffany Calver speaking. I wanted to touch on my musical journey and my growth. And I feel like sometimes that growth gets overlooked, coming from where I’ve come from to where I’m at now and turning my life around. So I wanted someone credible to bring that to life and remind people about how far I’ve come.” “Classic Day” “This is me with my feet up, giving everyone an insight into my mood and flexing my muscles a bit. I feel like I haven’t got a track like this where I’m talking so blatantly about living comfortably. Not boasty, but just letting people know, because I feel like I’m very modest a lot of the time. I might shy away from looking like I’m that guy. So with ‘Classic Day,’ I wanted to give more of that energy.” “Victory Lap” “With ‘Victory Lap’ I’m just updating the people about what’s been going on in the last couple of years of K-Trap’s life and letting everyone know where I’m at in this moment. It’s called ‘Victory Lap’ because [celebrated producer] Carns [Hill]’s beat alone makes me feel victorious, it makes me feel like I’ve won. Lyrically, I touch on a lot of different subjects and situations, good and bad, ups and downs. But if I weigh it all up, there’s victory. We’re still pushing, the race isn’t finished. But we’re in a good place.” “Heaven or Hell” “With this being the third track, I wanted to let my female listeners know that we’ve got them from early on. I want my female fan base to really take this album in. With the track, I just wanted to be real with a different perspective on what we see. I didn’t just wanna make a lovey-dovey song, do you know what I’m saying? I wanted to make a real song with real feelings and emotions. It’s got that honesty.” “Messi” “With ‘Messi’ I’m just having fun with it, but at the same time I’m still taking people on my journey. I’m still touching on what’s been going on. I talk about getting my new pendant from [London celebrity jewelers] A Jewellers, that’s something that everyone has seen on the net. So I rap about it, and I include a voicemail from the jeweler that made it. It brings things to life a bit more. I talk about having a long block list, people understand that kind of stuff. So this one’s like taking a walk with me while I let you know what’s been going on recently.” “Mobsters” (with Blade Brown) “This is me opening different doors and trying different sounds. It’s got that Detroit-style beat with the synths. And it’s for the trap boys, man. For the D-boys. When I say that, I’m not just talking about drug dealers. When I say trap, I mean people that are trapping, bro. I mean people that are motivated and tryna get money. That’s what I take from ‘Mobsters.’ We’re just talking that talk. And it’s jumpy at the same time, for when the weather’s hot and you’re driving in your car. I’ve been doing a certain flow for a long time, so me switching it up on this will be appreciated by real music heads. It’s something new, man.” “Whistle” “I feel like when you’re making an album, you need a song that really has that addictive sound, the one that catches your ear, that’s always on the radio. I feel like ‘Whistle’ is that song. It has that commercial sound to it but it’s still me, it’s still Trap in terms of the stuff I’m saying. I’m getting in my artist bag, trying new things and merging the two elements together. I feel like it’s a happy song, it definitely makes you feel that way.” “TBC” “As you’re listening to the album, taking in the different sounds, ‘TBC’ is like, ‘Boom! Remember, I can still do this.’ This is what I do best. It’s me bringing back that old-school drill element and still having fun with it. It’s a walk in the park for me. It’s got that ‘PARK CHINOIS’ bounce and feel to it. The beat is cold. The people that like this style of music will definitely appreciate it.” “Next to You” (with Sharna Bass) “After ‘TBC,’ this brings you back down to earth. Here, I’m touching on the kinds of topics that I don’t usually touch on. It’s a totally different sound too. I feel like this is the part of the album that invites listeners into another room. I see the album as an invitation to my mansion, full of different rooms with different things going on. ‘Next to You’ is like, ‘Who was this guy before Trapo? What’s his story?’ The song is my way of letting people know.” “Thing for You” “Big up, [East London singer-songwriter] Dré Six. He’s sick at what he does, man. This is a real song. It’s about me making that transition and taking that step forwards, not back. You know, the battles of being from a certain environment and tryna get out, tryna do the right thing. I feel like we explained it in a very different, super-musical way. We worked directly with Dré in the studio. He’s a real artist, and I feel like it would be insulting just to ask him to send something in. He’s such an artist so we had to link up.” “Old School Era” “This is me switching genres back to my old lane, that upper-echelon drill, that gloss. If I’m being honest I don’t think anyone’s doing it other than me. And lyrically, it reflects where I’m at now. If I am gonna do the street stuff, I have to be real, I have to still represent myself honestly. If we’re gonna do this, we’re still gonna show some sort of growth and have a different swing to things. If I’m gonna make drill songs they can’t just be about me on the estate, representing things that aren’t really part of my environment at this moment. When I lean into that sound, I have to be creative with it.” “Someone Familiar” “Once again this is catering for my female listeners. The reason it’s called ‘Someone Familiar’ is because, as much as rappers talk about the luxury life, buying girls Birkin and Chanel bags, and all that stuff, sometimes it needs to be about local, familiar things. I talk about going to the cinema, fizzy drinks, and popcorn, shopping in Zara, bringing everyone back down to earth. Hopefully, the girls who might’ve felt a way listening to other stuff that focuses on things that are fully out of most people’s reach will relate more to this.” “Special” “The production from Jester Beats makes it feel like a film. ‘Special’ is like that part in an action film when things are about to go down. The buildup is crazy. Jester did a serious job. And once again, it’s me doing my thing for the people that are cut from that cloth and understand that type of drill. I feel like lyrically it’s very smart too. It’s like in boxing, Floyd Mayweather might be in his gym just training but once in a while he might have to get in the ring with one of the young bulls and let them know he’s still got it.” “Rockstar in Designer” (with D-Block Europe) “I’m happy with ‘Rockstar in Designer’ because me and DBE have worked together a lot, under different circumstances, but I feel like this is my most comfortable DBE song. Adz killed it with the hook, it’s crazy. And it’s got one of my favorite verses from LB. If you take in what he’s saying, it’s cut from my type of cloth. I maintained and did my job over a different kind of tempo than what people are used to from me. I feel like the DBE fans and the Trap fans will appreciate what we did together.” “Whoosh” “I like ‘Whoosh’ because I’m talking my talk but the production will make you wanna move, too. You could hear it in a party or at a festival, it’s got that very catchy, anthem feel to it. It’s got that energy, man.” “Different” (with Highlyy) “I’m definitely more comfortable with experimentation now, and I think ‘Different’ represents that. It’s a very, very good song. [Essex singer-songwriter] Highlyy killed her hook. It’s got a classic, timeless feel. People might overlook it because it’s me but it will travel and last a very long time.” “Let’s Run Away” (with Angel) “This is my favorite track on the album. Me and Angel had been going back and forth, trying different sounds. Then, when I heard the hook and the beat, it just took me there. It was like me walking into a therapy session and the therapist asking, ‘How do you feel?’ There wasn’t a crazy thought process behind it; it just came out. It was actually like therapy because these are things I’ve had on my chest that I haven’t spoken to anybody about. It’s growth. Angel’s production let me tap into all that honesty.” “Grown Decisions” “With ‘Grown Decisions,’ I’m wrapping it up and letting people know about how life was, how it is now and the differences. The main thing is that as I’m growing, I’m seeing life in a different way. It’s about encouraging people to make the right decisions. You can listen to this album, with its ups and downs, its drill tunes. But I feel like it’s definitely key to end by letting people know what I care about more. I can’t shy away from my life before, it’s a part of my story. There’s certain negatives that I might’ve pushed as positives or even glamorized. But ultimately my story is about growing and making grown decisions.” “Outro” “Sometimes you need someone else to urge you on and let you know that you should smile, or you should feel happy, you should pat yourself on the back. That’s what Tiffany [Calver] does.”