Smilez & Southstar
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Smilez & Southstar |
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Smilez and Southstar hip-hop duo based in Orlando, Florida. They had a Top 40 hit with the song "Tell Me" in late 2002.[1] Their music has been played on stations nationwide and their videos have appeared on MTV and BET
Beginnings
Early success 2002-2003
The group's first single was "Who Wants This" featuring Kelis. The song had an underground vibe to it and created a buzz—but still didn't crack the top 40. The group's next single, "Tell Me", hit the Top 40 charts. The duo then followed it up with "Now That You're Gone". Smilez talks about the death of his mother and Southstar speaks about the death of his son, Malik, however, it did poorly on the charts, and the group was considered a one-hit wonder. But, the group still followed on with a tour with reggae artist Beenie Man. They also were considered "different" because they didn't talk about using or selling drugs in their music[citation needed].
The group has been quiet because of their switch in labels due to poor success of their album Crash The Party. They were signed to Reincarnate, an indie label, but now have created their own independent record label Groundworks Entertainment. The label features reggae artist Viper and rapper Vill.
Controversy
"Tell Me" used a sample from Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross's song Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart). There was controversy when Ja Rule and Ashanti's song "Mesmerized", released around the same time, used the same sample. This made a slight "beef" between Smilez & Southstar and Ja Rule's record label, Murder Inc., which stemmed from Murder Inc turning down the original version of Mesmerized, originally produced by DJ Nasty (of Orlando).
Feature success
Smilez and Southstar are currently working on their next album and should have a release date soon. The previous album featured the songs "Found Out", "Been a Long Time", and "Good Look". "Good Look" features Cash Money rapper Gotti. Beenie Man and Killer Mike also were featured on the album. The lead single "U Know" featured rappers Treal. Southstar is featured on the mixtape freestyle "Protect Ya Neck" with fellow Asian rappers Jin and Far East Movement.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B |
US Rap | |||
| 2002 | "Who Wants This?" | — | 65 | — | Crash the Party |
| 2003 | "Tell Me" | 33 | 28 | 11 | |
| "Now That You're Gone" | — | — | — | ||
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions[2] | Certifications and sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||
| 2003 | Crash the Party
|
91 | 34 | |
External links
Footnotes
- ^ "VH1.com: Smilez and Southstar". VH1. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ "Smilez & Southstar Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2010-06-04.