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What up Smitty ?
Hey, what’s happening ?
U have a very interesting background. Tell
all of our readers about yourself.
Yeah, I started off writing for Dr. Dre,
Puff, and Will Smith, to name a few. I got most of my exposure
by writing for Puff, because I wrote a couple of hits for him
- “Shake Ya Tailfeather”, “Bump, Bump, Bump”,
and “Do That Dance”. I really put myself in a position
to really be looked at by a couple of the labels. After a little
bidding war from a couple of labels, J Records was the label that
was adamant about showing the attention that I needed. We got
the new single that’s settin’ it off, “Diamonds
On My Neck”, produced by Swizz Beats. We just did the video
and we’re tryin’ to drop the album at the top of the
year in January. We’re excited about it. I need to let the
world know about it. That’s why I’m talkin’
to u. So let’s get it.
What’s the title of the new album
?
Life Of A Troubled Child. It’s an
autobiography of my life - Where I’m going, what I’m
doin’, and where I’ve been. It’s got a lot of
big-name producers - Jazze Pha, Swizz Beats, Timbaland, Mannie
Fresh.... Everybody. A lot of people came out and showed me support.
J. Records hasn’t been known for
it’s rap, so what made u wanna sign with them ?
That’s what pushed me over the edge
to make me wanna sign with them. Cause at the end of the day,
I knew they had a canvas for me to paint my picture. It would
have been easy for me to go to the Def Jams or the Interscopes.
I wanted a fresh start. U know, someone who would like me for
what I’m tryin’ to do. Someone who would believe in
my vision, my picture. Being that they didn’t have a lot
of rap over there, I figured they’d have a lot of time to
work with me and stand behind what I have to offer to hip-hop.
It made perfect sense for me to go there as opposed to somewhere
like Def Jam where they have a thousand different rappers. U really
don’t have a chance to see what each artist has to offer,
or what each artist has to bring to the table.
Are u still writing for Puffy ?
Yeah, it’s crazy, actually. Cause
we just finished the Biggie duet album. The lead-off single is
produced by Jazze Pha - with Puffy and Nelly on there with Biggie.
I think that’s dropping in the fourth quarter. I’m
burning both ends of the candle. I’m still writing for Puff,
and mixing my album at the same time. So I’m really tryin’
to go for it.
Did u do any writing for the other artists
on the Bad Boy label ?
I helped write Loon’s single, “How
You Want That”. I wrote some stuff for other artists, like
Black Rob, but the music never surfaced. They did show me a lot
of love at Bad Boy. I always did have opportunities to show my
abilities as a writer.
How was your experience with Dr. Dre and
Aftermath ? What made u leave ?
Aftermath was a beautiful experience to
me. It was more of a learning experience. I wasn’t really
there for the big writers checks. I was there to get that exposure.
At Aftermath, that was the first time I had ever written an r&b
song. The first day that I was in the studio with Dr. Dre, I expected
him to come in with a hardcore hip-hop record, cause that’s
what I came up writing to. The first thing he said to me was....
“U think u can write an r&b song?” I said naw!
He was like..... “I think u can write one.” I was
like.... If u say I can write one, then I’m damn show gone
try. So I ended up writing a song for Truth Hurts. It was called
“Crooked Cops”. It was for the Training Day soundtrack.
I think he knew what he was doing. Because after I wrote that
r&b song, it seemed like I could write anything. At that point,
I was learning how to mix records and pick records. I also had
the opportunity to do the lead-off single for the movie - The
Wash. It definitely was the experience I needed to become the
artist that I am now.
You’re from Miami, right ?
Yeah, Little Haiti. A beautiful part of
Miami that I love to talk about whenever I get a chance.
Is Florida gettin’ behind u ?
Yeah, it was actually about 20, 25 markets
in Florida that got behind me first. It’s up to me as well,
to give them hit music that can be put into rotation that they
can stand behind. So I owe a lot to the people for even standing
behind me in the first place. All the mixshow djs are showing
the world that there’s a possibility that I could be that
next rising star. And I appreciate it.
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