Music can heal a troubled, lonely, depressed, and weary soul. It can speak multitudes carried in captivating musical scores. Armani Smith, better known as Mondoe2xx, wants his music to soothe those who have gone through the darkest depths life hides. Today, the artist wants nothing more than to speak for those who are too broken to express themselves in words with his music.
Mondoe2xx was born in Washington, DC, but moved with his family to North Carolina. At age 14, he had to adjust to a new environment again when his family decided to move to Gaffney, South Carolina, where he lived for most of his teenage life. During the same age, he had to face his first experience of grief as he lost his big brother to a car accident.
Although he started falling in love with music at the age of 18, Mondoe2xx did not pursue the craft seriously. And so, he pivoted into another route and joined the Army at 23, but he was out of service after two years. In 2019, the artist faced another loss upon the death of his mother. Through it all, his passion for music grew stronger, and it allowed him to cope with losing yet another family member.
In 2020, Mondoe2xx moved to Los Angeles and started his own company, Birdz Eye View Productions. “I started shooting off music videos, but I wanted to do so much more,” he shared. “I attended The New York Film Academy, where I studied filmmaking and producing. In 2021, I lost my best friend, Isaac Lattimore, to gun violence, which made me decide to give my music career a real shot” The artist then attended music school, where he studied business music and engineering. For over two years now, Mondoe2xx has been recording his own music.
Mondoe2xx released his first solo single in October 2021 entitled “Why.” Following the success of his first release, he launched his second single called “Diamond in The Rough” last January 18, 2022.
The artist doesn’t sugarcoat what he wants to say in his music. He fearlessly and unapologetically launches his messages out into the world. “All of my music is raw and real. It gives hope to people who have dealt with a lot of pain, and it gives hope to those that feel as if it’s impossible to make it out of their current situations.”
Mondoe2xx understands that his audience has gone through various experiences in life, from poverty to the loss of their loved ones. He wants his music to inspire them to continue moving forward and see life beyond its sorrows.
“I want to reach people who have lost loved ones and sometimes feel like they don’t want to keep going,” said the artist. “I want to be able to help through my music.”
On top of his thriving music career, Mondoe2xx also pursued other ventures. In December of 2021, he launched a podcast called The Smokers Lab with his long-time friend EMOEDAGREAT. He also launched his own clothing line called Activated Clothing Brand. He is also fostering his talent and passion as a screenwriter and revealed that his short film series called Ace would be released later this year under his production company.
In five years, Mondoe2xx sees himself living in the Hollywood Hills and attending the Grammy awards. He also envisions his businesses to grow into multi-million dollar ventures. The entrepreneur also aims to help other aspiring artists by signing them to his label.
