Faith & Followers
Tyler Smith’s – Keys To The Kingdom
Of his roughly 1 million followers, Tyler Smith figures most people have no idea he’s a Christian artist.
“Most of my following came from remixing sounds,” Smith says over coffee on a frigid January afternoon. His following – rather, followers of tylerhateslife, his artist name – is huge: 600k on TikTok, 187k on Spotify, 188k on Facebook Video.
“My biggest videos are remixes of covers from bands who are more known like 3 Doors Down, Jon Bellion or The Cranberries,” he says, “So most of my platform is non-Christian. They find me because they like – Eminem. They don’t think I’m a Christian artist. I haven’t had a video go viral yet of me singing, playing guitar and looping stuff. They don’t even know I do that.”
The importance of faith in Smith’s life can sometimes be surprising to fans. “It throws people off that I’m a Christian artist, but that’s exactly what I want to do,” he explains. “For every 50 people that hate on it, how many people are impacted by it? People want authenticity. And I think when people see an authentic Christian, it inspires them.”
Dressed in black and sporting tattoos with a swagger that’s more hip hop than holy roller, Smith’s online persona – under the tylerhateslife profile – doesn’t exactly scream Christian. But it carries a Christian message inside. “It’s super simple, really,” says Smith, “It’s from John 12:25: ‘Anyone who loves their life will lose it but anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’”
Smith says this passage of Scripture provided solace back in 2018, when he was deployed in the Army. “I remember reading over this verse the whole time I was deployed,” he says.
Now 28, Smith was 22 when he enlisted as an 11 Bravo in the United States Army. He fractured his femur during an Airborne operation as part of his Ranger training. “From there, I started talking with the chaplain and picked up a job as a chaplain assistant,” says Smith, who left active duty in June 2022. “So that’s what I ended up doing the majority of the time I was in the Army. Which worked better for me. I’m a Christian so, in the Army or as an artist, my faith is always a part of what I do.”
Growing up outside of Austin, Texas, in the tiny town of Liberty Hill, Smith’s faith journey began at age 9. He was 18 when his mom died of an overdose. “After my mom passed away, I totally gave my life to Christ,” he says.
While his dad loved country, Smith’s music journey began with hip-hop. “My mom loved Eminem, 2Pac, 50 Cent – all those guys,” he recalls. “My mom was in and out of my life so much, I think I was drawn to hip hop because it reminded me of her.”
Today, as a professional musician, he cites three main influences: Ed Sheeran, Russ, and NF. “I took pieces from each of those artists,” Smith says. “Ed Sheeran, I really like his live performance, lots of looping. Russ is the pioneer for doing it all yourself – producing, mixing and mastering your own music. NF talks a lot about mental health. That’s something I really relate to.”
Smith started strumming his dad’s electric guitar as a teenager. Today, he plays only acoustic, hitting the wooden guitar to add loops from his Machine+ beat pad. “I try to be as diverse as possible in my songs,” he says. “My song ‘Implode’ is Zach Bryan country. ‘Haters’ is Dr. Dre. Whatever the vibe of the song, I make the beats to fit that.”
But there’s so much more to the unique, captivating artistry of Tyler than any comparison to others can describe. There’s the devastating darkness at the heart of his song “spiritual warfare,” and its message of hope and resistance to those dark thoughts. Or check out his heartfelt single “mommies and daddies,” about his divorce and the heartache that comes only when adults make decisions that damage children.
“That song might end up being the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” Smith says,’ because it shows people my heart.’”
Smith has co-released a bunch of songs with Sintex, a distribution company. This deal grew out of a relationship he developed with Rapzilla, a Christian rap organization. Similar to how XXL does it in the hip-hop world, Rapzilla presents a Freshman Class each year. Tyler was a Rapzilla Freshman in 2021.
“What makes Tyler so appealing to people is his authenticity, vulnerability, and willingness to ‘take it there,’” says Rapzilla Editor-in-Chief Justin Sarachik. “Frequently in music, it’s more about being catchy, hitting a trend, or getting people to feel good. He has a knack for taking the emotional struggles of his real life and making them relatable to his audience. He’s also extremely versatile. He does everything well, whether singing, rapping, playing the guitar, beat production – even his content.”
In an email exchange with The LocaL, Sarachick says Rapzilla was drawn to Tyler because of his “undeniable talent.” After spending a few days with him in Atlanta as a Rapzilla Freshman, Smith’s work ethic is what stood out.
“While Tyler fits into the pocket of Christian hip hop, I’d say musically and stylistically he’s more outside of the box,” Sarachik says. “Most of his fanbase came to him organically through his content on social media. I don’t necessarily think the majority of his fanbase are Christian rap fans, I think they are Tyler fans. His music is creative and touches on a variety of topics and genres that most Christian hip hop would not cover. It makes him an anomaly in any space he’s in.”
“Jesus met people where they were at,” Smith says. “I’m not going to stand in a church all day and hope they come to me. Why would I do that? I go out and sing in the clubs. And it doesn’t bother me to do a song with somebody who cusses on it. I’m friends with everybody. ”
Followers alone don’t translate to fame and fortune, however. That takes something else – and Smith has that something. His strong marketing skills and solo approach help make music a viable career choice for him, along with his roles as a father, Army Reservist and worship leader at Wynnton Methodist Church, a day job he calls “a huge blessing from God that goes hand in hand with my music.”
Still, it’s his popularity online that pays the bills. “I make most of my money off of my streams,” he says. “I do it all myself. I am my own producer. I am my own audio engineer.”
Recently able to afford upgraded gear, Smith first went viral using his iPhone for video and GarageBand for audio. He’s released about 70 songs that way. “If Apple ever hired me to teach GarageBand, I would crush it,” he says. “I know GarageBand inside and out – its EQ is untouchable. I’ll probably be able to retire making beats. When I get into my 50s I could easily see myself sitting down and making 20 beats a week.”
For now, though, he dreams big.
“I’m a delusional person, so I feel I absolutely have the ability to be one of the biggest artists out there,” Smith says. “There’s nothing another artist can do that I can’t do. I really believe you have to think that way if you want to make it as far as you want to go. You have to believe you can. I believe I can. I wouldn’t have made it this far without that belief.”
To find more on Tyler Smith / @tylerhateslife look for him on any social media platform @tylerhateslife and on any streaming service you listen to.
By Frank Etheridge