Biography
Born on March 10, 1987, in Bloomington, Minn., Derek Smith (aka Dylan Smith), known professionally as Mod Sun, is an American rock musician and hip-hop artist. Smith was immersed in music from a very young age. On his website, Mod Sun described growing up in a household where everything from Prince to Bob Dylan was played on the family stereo system. Smith spent a little bit of time living with his father in California, but eventually returned to live with his mother in Minnesota. His mother's job forced him to move around a lot as a boy, so he spent a lot of time having to learn how to make new friends. At the age of 13, Smith got his first drum set. By the age of 16, Smith was touring with the post-hardcore band Four Letter Lie. Smith also played with the post-hardcore band Scary Kids Scaring Kids. At the age of 19, Smith wrote his first song. He released a couple of mix tapes and soon earned the attention of various hip-hop acts. By the early 2010s, Smith was collaborating with high-profile hip-hop stars like G-Eazy, Nipsey Hussle and Schoolboy Q. Smith released his debut studio album "Look Up" in 2015. He released two more studio albums in 2017. With his music career in full swing, Mod Sun decided to branch out into acting by playing a small role as himself in the horror film "Bashira" (2019). In early 2020, Smith released his fourth studio album. On March 12, 2021, he released the single "Heavy" featuring blackbear. On August 26, 2021, it was announced that he would star in and co-direct the film "Good Mourning With A U." On February 18, 2022, Mod Sun released a documentary about his life entitled "Remember Me Just Like This" on his YouTube channel. On February 3, 2023, Derek Smith (aka Dylan Smith), known professionally as Mod Sun, released "God Save the Teen."
