Mod Sun Biography

Derek Smith, known by his stage name Mod Sun, is an American rapper, rocker, author and poet from Minnesota. Before starting on his own, he was a member of the post-hardcore band Four Letter Lie.

Early Life

Derek Smith was born in 1987, in Bloomington, Minnesota. His childhood wasn’t easy, as his parents were addicted to alcohol and marijuana. However, Derek said his mother was still great. Eventually, his parents divorced and Derek spent some time in Long Beach, California. During that period, he moved a lot because his mother frequently changed jobs. He didn’t take school seriously and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. In high school, he was considered a weirdo.

Music Career

Smith’s stage name is an acronym for Movement on Dreams, Stand Under None, also standing for Modern Sunshine. In 2004 he became the drummer of Four Letter Lie. He left them after five years, in order to pursue happier music, through rapping. Briefly, he also worked as a drummer for another post-hardcore band, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, because he needed the money. Additionally, he motivated that by saying the movie Yes Man inspired him to say yes to anything.

As a solo artist, Mod Sun released 3 EPs, 6 mixtapes and two studio albums. In 2015, his debut album, Look Up, peaked at number 120 on the Billboard 200. In 2016, he featured on Machine Gun Kelly’s single Sublime. Mod Sun released his latest album, titled Movie, in March 2017. It featured collaborations with artists such as Rich the Kid and blackbear. Furthermore, it spawned 3 singles:

Photo credit: RepublicofMusic