![Sminem Sminem meme depicting Roman.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/025/406/Screen_Shot_2018-02-09_at_10.35.33_AM.jpg)
Sminem
Part of a series on Cryptocurrency. [View Related Entries]
About
Sminem is character based on photograph of Russian teenager Roman Zuev wearing a knockoff shirt with the rapper Eminem on it, with "Eminem" misspelled "Sminem." After being shared on Russian internet and Reddit, the boy became a meme on 4chan boards /int/ and /biz/. In Russia, Sminem is also known as Elf.
Origin
The earliest known post to feature the boy was posted May 18th, 2014 to Russian forum pikabu.ru.[1] There, the picture gained 15 upvotes.
![Sminem SMINE SMINEM pikaburu](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/720/c57.jpg)
Spread
The picture was reposted to Reddit the following year on /r/ANormalDayInRussia[2] on July 6th, 2015, where it gained 971 upvotes. On December 2nd, 2016, it was posted to /r/funny[3] where it gained 31 upvotes. On May 1st, 2017, the image was submitted to Shitpostbot 5000. [4]
Around October of 2016, the picture began circulating on 4chan boards, where the character became a larger meme. Some early threads featuring the picture were posted on October 18th[5] and October 19th[6] of that year. The following year, more images of the boy were posted to the board (examples shown below).
![Sminem at School](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/725/2e6.jpg)
![Christ Sminem P29-12](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/727/48e.jpg)
In Cryptocurrency Community
In February 2018, Sminem grew into an unofficial mascot for 4chan's /biz/ board, where users joked about him as though he were emblematic of a person who succeeded in the cryptocurrency market. An exchange a Twitter user by the name of @CryptoSminem had with older Twitter user @PeterLBrandt was posted several times to the board,[7] furthering the lore that Sminem was a pioneer in cryptocurrency (shown below).
![CryptoSminem Peter Brandt @PeterLBrandt My observation about the new generation of traders:I sense an urgent need to make massive profits quickly Successful market speculation is a marathon, not a sprint. But, have it your way 07/02/2018, 15:00 150 Retweets 780 Likes Sminem @CryptoSminem 1h Replying to @PeterLBrandt Your way is the way of the dinosaur. The asteroids are coming and he sees them 9 Peter Brandt @PeterLBrandt 1h No respect -- blocked 61 ADEEL Amin @Adeelkamin 1h f. Replying to @PeterLBrandt Ithink you continuously post about noobs. Most thrivers are long term traders Peter Brandt @PeterLBrandt.57m My generation took proper English in school. I have no idea what a noob is 8 Tweet your reply](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/731/2cd.jpg)
In memes, Sminem often opposes the Bogdanoff twins, serving as a symbol of gains and bullish market as opposed to the Bogdanoffs symbolizing losses, bearish markets and market manipulation. The trend found reflection in popular meme videos by YouTuber[9][10] Bizonacci posted in early 2018 (examples shown below, left and right).
On February 7th, 2018, an anonymous user in /int/ opened a thread for photoshops of the character, to which several users posted their edits of the image as well as other pictures of the boy.[8]
Sminem NFT
On April 18th, 2022, Roman Zuev, the man depicted in the Sminem meme, announced on his Twitter[13] account that he was auctioning off an NFT collection surrounding the meme and various images associated with Sminem via Foundation,[14] a crypto art marketplace.
for the first time online, feast your eyes on the complete #sminem ensemble!
soon I'm going to post some never seen before Sminem photos onfoundation</a>, verified by <a href="https://twitter.com/knowyourmeme?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">
knowyourmeme – follow me on foundation to be the first that know: https://t.co/OEjoAXAyp3#btc #nft #nftart #ETH pic.twitter.com/ZLJtoFSiAu— Roman Zuev (@thesminemverse) April 18, 2022
Identity
In 2019, following the surge of popularity of Sminem on /biz/ and his popularity in Russia as Elf meme, Sminem's real name was discovered to be Roman Zuev, a Russian native born in 1996 and living in Krasnodar Krai.[11][12] In 2020, an unknown person, likely an acquaintance of Zuev, created Instagram and TikTok pages for "Romario Zuev," posting videos of Sminem. While the accounts were subsequently shut down, a number of videos of Zuev were archived by YouTube user Ivan Uchaschiisya (shown below, left and right).
Hello, my friends, my name is Romario Zuev. I am 23 years old. I was born in Volgograd, Dzershinsk District. I finished 10 [out of 11] grades and later moved to Krasnodar Krai, Vladimirskiy District. The weather is good here, the people are good. I'm helping my mother every day. Subscribe to my Instagram and leave a like. See you, friendos!
Various Examples
![Sminem Chad SME SMINEM](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/340/733/ce0.jpg)
![Striped Shirt Sminem](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/340/734/d6f.jpg)
![Elder Scrolls Sminem](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/340/735/cfe.png)
![Swimming Sminem](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/737/ea7.jpg)
![Illustration NEM](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/738/bb8.jpg)
![Birthday Sminem](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/340/740/484.jpg)
Search Interest
External References
[1] Pikabu -
Просто Sminem с белым лицом и черными руками
[2] /r/ANormalDayInRussia – Too much for a single photo.
[3] /r/funny – The coolest white rapper: Sminem
[7] 4chan – No respek sminem, press f to pay respect
[8] 4chan – Can we please get a SMINEM thread?
[9] YouTube – The Boy Who Saved Crypto
[10] YouTube – SMINEM VS. BOGDANOFF
[12] Odnoklassniki – Roma Zuev
[13] Twitter – Roman NFT Announcement
[14] Foundation – Sminem NFT
Top Comments
Wholesome Steven
Feb 09, 2018 at 02:11PM EST in reply to
The Sea-Dumpling
Feb 10, 2018 at 06:40PM EST