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5/10/2006 What's up? I'm chilling. I'm on the grind. It never stops. I've been in the industry for a minute and it takes more than one hit. You just have to keep grinding. What was it like growing up in Little Haiti? For me, it was a beautiful struggle regardless of the crime problems you hear about. Every neighborhood across America has their good and their bad aspects. Little Haiti has its own identity and culture. It helped me become an individual. Not to say anything bad against other cities in Miami, but I rep for my city and I think that gave me the chip on my shoulder to make the music I make. I didn't have to go out and find trouble, trouble was everywhere. I dealt with all aspects of ghetto life, but I ended up graduating high school, going to college, going out to LA, becoming a successful songwriter and now I'm a successful recording artist. It gave me what I needed. It wasn't just a plethora of negative shit. It's a beautiful situation. What was college like for you? It was cool. It opened up my mind. I only saw my block. That was all I saw growing up, so I didn't really understand there was a whole 'nother world out there. I didn't know about everything else. The world was bigger than I thought it was. That's when I started traveling. I didn't go to college for the education, although I did get educated. I didn't go for the grades or the GPA, but socially, I understood what it took to be a successful businessman. I did that through music. I became a more universal artist because I wasn't just rapping about where I was from. I could rap about places like Chicago and Texas. I wasn't necessarily an academic scholar, but college definitely grew me up. How was your experience in California and how did you meet up with Dr. Dre? I was doing my thing and I had a hustle going on in college like every black man. I said I was going to take what money I had and go out to Cali for a summer, and if something happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I was out there working, working, and working. I made friends and I kept going out and kept going out. Eventually opportunities came. I heard about the filming for The Wash and my friends set it up. I got my opportunity to spit for him and I never looked back. The next day, I became a songwriter. Will you and Dre do some more work? I hope so. We have a funny relationship. Dre told me he was going to sign me, but it never happened. I'm pretty sure he was going through a lot at that time with Rakim and other artists. I ended up getting a deal and he flew me back out to work. Me and Nate Dogg were in the studio and we did a song. I was sitting out there at Universal City waiting on them to work, and he never really apologized for not signing me, but he saw me develop as an artist, he helped me develop as an artist, and he gave me the name Smitty. Things happen for a reason. Me and him have a special bond. He helped develop me to a certain point. He taught me how to get my sound on the mic, but he has a lot of writers. I'm not focused on writing. I have a lot of other things going on with other things. We're going to cross paths again and I really want to cross paths when he's ready to go with me. We did a lot of work in '98 and '99. Just because you write a song for Dre in '98 doesn't mean he's going to be there in 2005. He's real meticulous. I want to make sure one of my songs make his album as well. After Dre, you went to Puffy. How was that? It was a whole different program. It was more like a machine. It was less musical. They were less focused on the quality of the music, not to say their music isn't quality. They were like, "This is a hot beat, this is a hot verse, let's put it out and make some money." Dre would rather figure out how you could be playing a song four years from now. Puffy kept the money flowing. I wrote four or five songs a day working with Puff. It was a machine. I had the best of both worlds. How many artists have been able to have been cultivated by two icons in hip-hop? I can't say I'm not blessed. How did their teachings influence the music you make today? In a big way. Look at my track record. I've put out two mixtapes in the same month. It's obvious that I have so much quality music. "Diamonds on my Neck: was such an impersonal song that no one expected the other music I had. People are starting to see that this kid really has music. At the end of the day, it's not bullshit music. I know what I have to offer to my fans. I'm special, man. I'm blessed. Did people put you in a box with "Diamonds on my Neck"? Yeah. That's what music does. That's why I'm grinding now. The song gave me a name and it made me somebody in the industry. I'm glad it did what it did. It's not my only style. Diamonds on my Neck definitely gave me the opportunity to get my music heard. It put me in the eyes of the MTV's and the BET's and places of that nature. I'm in a good position right now. I'm working. Is it hard for people to take you seriously after Diamonds on my Neck? It's not hard with the mixtape game. Before the mixtape game was out, it was very hard. The mixtapes are another way to make the music and get it out. Back then, it was very hard. If you had a single, you couldn't follow it up with a mixtape. It's easy to put music out now. Just put it out and see how it goes. It is what it is. It's going to do what it does. They're going to love it or leave it alone. Just put it out. Would you consider that you took a risk with "Diamonds on my Neck:? No, it's not a risk, because you can put out something that's safe and not get the exposure I got. You could put something harder out and nobody knows you. I said just enough for them to say, "Who is that?" They never heard of me and they wanted to hear more. Everything happens for a reason. There's no disappointment from that song. Kids stop me for autographs at the mall because of that song. What do you have to offer the game? The passion that I give. It's the passion I have for music. That's what's missing in the music. There's no passion in the songs. People are rapping just to rap. Rappers are so impersonal with their music. They tell you about their cars, their guns, and their girls. I do get belligerent, but I also have songs that let you know what I've been though. They'll know my pops was a drug addict and I came up in a single-parent home and things like that. The fans have to know about you. When's your album dropping? This summer. We're going to shoot this video and drop the next single with Jamie Foxx. Clive Davis is spending a lot of money on me. How did the deal with J Records come about? I had two number-one's on the chart so they took a chance on me. I had a bidding war going on and once I got interest, everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Clive showed me the most excitement about my project and it made sense to go there. Clive knows how to break rap and he knows how to spend money to make money. Have you been doing any ghostwriting recently? I got some credits for a couple new songs. It's a hard grind as an artist because you don't have time to write for someone else because you're writing for yourself. I only do it for Puff or for artists that really know what they're doing and where they're going. It takes a lot of energy. I'm used to getting checks for my writing so I'm not just writing to write. How is it being managed by Jimmy Henchman? He's great. He's been very important in getting J Records to understand what rap music is. He knew my situation. I needed a strong rock in New York and he's one of the best at making things happen. We kind of found each other. We had mutual friends and it worked out. It just happened. Is Miami finally getting the recognition it deserves? We're getting some recognition, but not the recognition we deserve. Once everyone sees our videos on BET, then we'll get the recognition. What should we be watching for next from you? Just watch the movement. I'm with the 305 movement, but watch for the Little Haiti movement. It's a whole new look. It's a whole new kind of music. I have some new songs that's going to hit the internet. I have a song with Chingo Bling coming out and a song with Bun-B and a song with Pimp C. I have an artist coming out on my own production company Close Range. I'm just trying to be a business, man, not a businessman. I'm putting Little Haiti on my back. It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it. What do you want to say to everyone? You have an artist on your hands right now. I hate to disappoint all my haters, but it's not over after "Diamonds on my Neck." I read all the hate. I learned from the best. I appreciate the love and the hate. Holler at me.

By Brian Kayser

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