Meet Bri Smilez | CHH Artist/FEMCEE

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bri Smilez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bri, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
No risk. no reward. Cliche. But true. Everyone has a purpose hidden inside of them. How many people actually unpack that gift is a very small percentage of the overall population. Why? Because being comfortable is comforting. Only those willing to risk it all are the ones who have made the choice to challenge every part of themselves for the sake of their passion. I have risked it all. Left a corporate job to pursue my creativity full time. Moved from the community that I know and challenged all of my comfort zones. Was I 100% confident that if I threw myself to the mercy of violent winds that I was indeed going to fly? Definitely not. But I was tired of my relationship with safety assassinating the potential of my wings. Growth truly lives on the outskirts of our fears.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Bri Smilez and I am a CHH Artist, a positive and strong female voice in the Hip Hop industry. I just stepped off tour with prominent CHH figures like Steven Malcolm, Datin, & Miles Minnick. I am also scheduled to hit another National tour in March. I got where I am today by believing in God, believing in myself, and realizing that I was the answer to the problem I thought somebody else should solve. I have a heart for young people & I also see how their mind is prime bait in the indoctrination of the media. I have made it my mission and life’s work to be the counterculture and an example these young girls can look up to. My brand is all about light, love, truth, inner beauty, grace, strength, knowledge, and being an authentic influence of empowerment to a famished generation. Everyday I wake up with the hearts of the youth on my mind, wondering how I can make a difference in uplifting and speaking life into their current state. I have an album dropping the first quarter of 2021 called “Gritty Elegance” with my first two singles called “Doves & Crows” and “Revivalution.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a born and bred Cali girl so I love the beach and sunshine. I would go to the beach, soak up some rays, hit up a local coffee shop and ask a local where’s the best place to get a bite to eat!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely. I have to shout out Rhyan LaMarr. I believe that the reason the majority of our dreams go to the cemetery with us is because of the lack of people willing to support and champion someone else’s dream. Rhyan LaMarr, a Chicago native film director, (Canal Street) heard me in an interview I gave last year about being a positive female voice in Hip Hop and decided to champion my purpose under his entertainment company Red Guerilla. Him and Bishop Eric D. Garnes have both been vital in supporting the ministry & movement of Bri Smilez. It takes a village to raise a Bri Smilez, Red Guerilla Entertainment is that village.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bri_smilez_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bri.burgos
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAaLR3nWABdS8b4oXp82yIA