by The Mixtape Queens THE BIRTH OF ANNIE Born on October 19, 2002, in Manila, Philippines , she spent her early years growing up in an orphanage convent run by nuns. As the oldest child  there, she wasn’t just surviving — she was caring for others. She cooked, cleaned, sewed, and became an older sister to many children at Little Mary’s Home , forming deep emotional roots that still live with her today. At 11 years old , she was adopted and moved to the United States, growing

Written by The Mixtape Queens ROOTED IN LEGACY, RAISED BY MUSIC Smokey Smothers  was born in Wisconsin , but her journey has always been guided by family, legacy, and the pull of music. After spending time in Atlanta, Georgia , she made the intentional decision to move to Chicago —a return to her family’s foundation. Her ties to the city run deep; her mother was born there, and her family’s roots stretch through the south side of Chicago , where generations before her helped