Smitty
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| Smitty | |
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 Smitty in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Varick D. Smith |
| Origin | Little Haiti, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper Entertainer |
| Label(s) | Grand Hustle/Blackground/Universal |
| Website | Official site |
Varick D. Bennet, better known as Smitty, is an American rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter from Little Haiti, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida.
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[edit] Biography
While growing up in Little Haiti, Varick came home one day to see a friend fatally shot due to involvement in a drug conflict.[1] The incident made him more aware of his future. In 1997 he decided to enroll at Florida A&M University to major in journalism. However, his aspiration to become a full-fledged artist led him to switch coasts after only two and half years of school. He would eventually, through a friend, get the opportunity to start in the hip-hop industry by flying out to meet with legendary producer Dr. Dre while he was filming The Wash. After many hours waiting around on set, Varick finally got the chance to rap in front of Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre was impressed and Varick was asked to work on a few tracks for The Wash soundtrack.[2]He is also a good basketball player.
In addition to working on the soundtrack, Varick has also worked on several songs, including two chart hits - 'Shake Ya Tailfeather' by P. Diddy, Nelly & Murphy Lee and 'Bump, Bump, Bump' by B2K. He has collaborated with fellow hip-hop artists such as Trick Daddy, Scarface, Kanye West, T.I., and an unknown artist Brady Geitz
[edit] Record deals
Opportunities to sign with Aftermath Records, Arista Records, Capitol Records, Def Jam, Elektra Records, and Jive Records were all offered, but were turned down in lieu of creative freedom.[3] Smitty eventually signed with Clive Davis' J Records in 2003.
As of April 2008, Smitty is no longer with J Records, according to an interview with WordofSouth.com. He is currently putting the finishing touches on a deal with Chameleon/Blackground/Universal, and hopes to release his debut album soon after the deal is final. The deal never went through and now there is an official deal with Interscope Records [4] Recently Smitty did a record with rapper T.I. called "Mind On My Money", and after they finished the song T.I. offered Smitty a deal with his label Grand Hustle.
[edit] Discography
In July 2005, Smitty released his debut single effort "Diamonds on My Neck", which charted at Billboard charts; a music video was directed by Hype Williams. His second single, "Died in Your Arms Tonight", failed to chart. However the remix with T-Pain seemed to be a hit on the Youtube website. A debut album, Life of a Troubled Child, was scheduled for release in late 2005 but was shelved. He released three mixtapes, The Voice of the Ghetto, Heart of the South, and Bigger Than Life.[5]
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2008) |
- His nickname was given to him by Dr. Dre.
- Grew up listening to local Miami hip-hops such as 2 Live Crew and Jam Pony Express, as well as Notorious B.I.G.[2]
- Smitty's mother works in the financial section of Broward General Medical Center hospital.[3]
- His father was in and out of jail while he was a teen.[3]
- Smitty has two younger brothers and sisters. He is currently paying for one of his sisters' college education.[6]
- He says he rarely talks to friends from his childhood.[7]
- Smitty was raised a spiritual person. He was frequently in church as a young child.[8] and two of his good friends are Reverend Jermaine Turner and Nahum St. Preux.[9]
- Even though he is a rapper with a million dollar recording contract, he admits that the women have been few and far between in his life prior to being a rap artist. He hopes to marry his current girlfriend.[1]
- He attended Everglades Middle School in Miramar (Broward County).
- He attended and graduated from Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida (Broward County).
- He is a blood relative of Steven Page. Famous graduate of Elmhurst Highschool.
- As a young child growing up in Little Haiti, Smitty was locally known for his superior bear wrestling skills, in which he never lost a match.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Miami - Music - Paper Chaser
- ^ a b Smitty 'Life of a Troubled Child' album - MusicRemedy
- ^ a b c http://www.kwabs.com/artman/publish/article_2188.shtml
- ^ » Smitty: Over And Over Again
- ^ Fuel Services Inc. Western Mass Fuel Oil, Heating Oil, and Heating and Cooling. Full service, equipment installations, automatic delivery, and diesel delivery. Serving Westfie...
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=4233
- ^ Smitty - Diamond in the Rough : VIBE.com
