blkswn is the debut album from St. Louis-based rapper Smino. It follows the release of 2016’s blkjuptr. The album was released on March 14, 2017. The choice of date was a stylistic choice—Smino deliberately dropped the album on 3/14, as the date mirrors the area code of St. Louis, Missouri (314). The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. The term is based on an ancient saying which presumed black swans did not exist, but the saying was rewritten after black swans were discovered in the wild. The release was preceded by four singles – the titular “blkswn,” the Hidden Figures-inspired “Anita” the #OscarsSoWhite inspired “Blkoscars” and the Genius-debuted “Father Son Holy Smoke.” blkswn features contributions from artists such as theMIND, Rayvn Lenae, Akenya and Noname. Production was mainly handled by Monte Booker with assists from producers such as Phoelix, THEMPeople and Sango.