Growing up in South Central, Na-Kel Smith was introduced to skating by his uncle, Kareem Campbell, the most memorable character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater history. Na-Kel joined the world of professional skating so swiftly that he didn't even need to finish high school after mastering his craft and generating buzz through videos. He was sponsored by Supreme and he readily fit in with the variety of skaters and artists who persisted on Fairfax in the mid 2000s. As Odd Future gained popularity, he became one of the group's "non-musician" members due to his friendship and tight relationships with Earl, Tyler, Frank Ocean and others.
When Tyler, The Creator invited Jasper, Lee Spielman and Lucas Vercetti to appear on "Trashwang", Na-Kel was just a professional skater working with him in the studio. There was no real ambition behind the verse. Just another vivacious posse cut, nothing more. An entertaining and humorous depiction of a hectic studio hang. A few years later, on Earl Sweatshirt's "DNA," Na-Kel made an appearance with a stirring, moving verse. After a couple more years, skating remained the top priority. "DNA" and "Trashwang" were outliers. They'll give you the mic if you hang out with DIY rappers for a while. Na-Kel then made the decision to seriously pursue music.
He gained knowledge on how to be a multifaceted independent musician through hanging out with members of Odd Future as well as the other eclectic group of artists and producers who frequent Dro Fe's Narco House recording studio. Na-Kel taught himself how to record, engineer and compose beats throughout the years through consistent practice in late-night and early-morning sessions surrounding long days of traveling and skating. Natural evolution took place. Na-Kel has the ability to nonchalantly shift the sounds of the past that have impacted him into the sounds of an unfamiliar, off-balance future..

How to hire Na-Kel Smith for an event