Baby Smoove is one of the hardest artists to come out of Detroit… period. As one of the leaders of the underground scene in his city, the “Kane” rapper has established his own distinct style and sound, with a one-of-a-kind flow that stands out amongst his peers.
When it comes to his biggest influences, he states, “My personality is more Gucci Mane, but my real artistry’s more Lil Wayne.”
Smoove stays true to himself in all that he does, allowing his personality to shine to his 142K followers on Instagram. Last year alone, the 24-year-old released 4 projects: Baby, Flawless, Mr.Perfect, and Purple Heart, each one showcasing a different aspect of his personality. With bangers such as “Akorn” going crazy on both Youtube (5.8 million views) and Spotify (2 million streams), he continues to feed his fans with nothing short of bangers.
Now, he returns with the deluxe to Mr. Perfect, aptly titled I’m Still Perfect. With 15 brand new tracks, he once again solidifies his ability to rap and touch the masses.
AllHipHop: We’re at the beautiful Kandypens house in the hills, how are you feeling?
Baby Smoove: Wonderful, it’s an experience. LA’s a vibe itself. It’s a vibe within a vibe, within another vibe. It’s really a big ass amusement park for grown people, you can do whatever you want to do.
AllHipHop: What do you like about LA compared to Detroit?
Baby Smoove: The weather. Y’all got everything, all types of females. Any female you can build in your head, you can find out here. The clothes, the love. It’s a different type of love. Out here they don’t know about the Detroit mentality, or Michigan. Their whole world, their whole understanding and appreciation is different from everything we grew up in.
AllHipHop: What’s the Detroit mentality?
Baby Smoove: Lone wolf, everybody for their motherf##king self.
AllHipHop: What was the household like growing up?
Baby Smoove: It was normal Detroit. You got your hood stuff going on, but normal for real. I didn’t want to grow up in Detroit, I wanted to be a suburban kid. I never wanted to be in the streets. It’s not sweet, it’s not cool. I never looked at it as something to glorify, that’s why I never really rapped about where I was from. n##ga look, there’s 5 abandoned houses on my block. Who cares?
AllHipHop: But at the same time, that’s your roots.
Baby Smoove: Oh yeah, that’s what made me. That’s why I appreciate this [LA]. If I was born in this, I wouldn’t appreciate palm trees and 80 degree weather every day. When you come from -2 degrees and 6 bandos a block, it’s a big difference. This doesn’t even look real. [laughs]
AllHipHop: You got a song called “Skippin School.” What was Baby Smoove like then?
Baby Smoove: Quiet, I didn’t really talk at all. I’d talk to myself before I talked to anybody. I skipped school a lot. I graduated, but I used to leave school. I shouldn’t say this because I don’t want my fans to… you feel me? I never went to high school, I was on the principal’s list though.
AllHipHop: When did you realize music could be a career?
Baby Smoove: My first time I got brought to the studio from a friend of a friend, I was 15. As soon as I said a word through the mic and heard my voice, a bulb clicked in my head. [clicks] I tested it out. Soon as I said something, “this is it!” Imagine if an artist knew they could paint, but they never had a pen. Imagine if you gave a real artistic person a paint brush and a canvas, they don’t know what they’re doing or what they’re creating. It’s almost amazing yourself while you’re doing it.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Gucci song?
Baby Smoove: You can’t ask me that. I got real CDs! You have to ask me a time, a Gucci period.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Gucci era?
Baby Smoove: Wilt Chamberlain. Around the time of the movie, Dopeman 3D. And the Brick Squad era, love that s##t.
AllHipHop: Congrats on the release of I’m Still Perfect, how you feeling?
Baby Smoove: Wonderful, because I’m really independent. You can go upload your music the way I upload mine. I’m not holding some type of secret recipe, you can go do everything I’m doing. You might not have the results I got, but I’m really independent. I don’t have a big homie behind me to put money on my back.
AllHipHop: I’m sure you’ve had labels reach out, why remain independent?
Baby Smoove: I just need a family. I really do this, I’m not looking to be bouncing from label to label, or to be not happy with the people at the label. They have to really be my people, understand this is what I do. I’m always going to perform on my end, I need you to perform on your end. That’s a big thing, a big step. I don’t trust people forreal, you hear bad s##t all the time. Music’s everything I got.
AllHipHop: I mean, you’re doing the thang!
Baby Smoove: Mmhmm, I ain’t trippin’. I get blank checks all the time. They want me to ride it out so bad, eventually I might. If I find some people who are really genuine, that’s when I’ma do it. They have to appreciate the art though, that’s the main thing. You can’t look at me like a stock or something you can make money off of. That’s what pushed me away from labels, period. There’s too much business. I love making music, I don’t give a f##k about a dollar. I’m not about to feed your family off my s##t, who are you?
AllHipHop: You definitely have your own lane, talk about finding your own voice.
Baby Smoove: My voice is distinctive, it’s part of my purpose. My personality at times is a lot, that’s how I’m able to speak. Everybody doesn’t have that fullness in their voice, it’s like that for a reason. I’m able to make music the way I make music. On a f##king computer, it’s crazy. I was always able to rap, but I’d never go out and try to rap. I remember in middle school, I’d be beating on the desk, making my beat and rapping in my head for a whole hour. Had to keep it going, I can’t mess up. It could be any word I’m basing the rhymes off of, even synonyms.
AllHipHop: Someone said those ASMR tracks be hitting. What made you whisper on “Wax”?
Baby Smoove: How my voice is on the mic if I’m high, it goes super raspy. I had to find a way around that. I tried it out and it was going, this s##t hard. I’m playing around, whispering and talking to everybody in the room. I can’t explain it, I don’t know what the hell goes through my head. I was looking for something new, I was so tired of everybody copying and trying to do lame s##t. I’m always trying to do something new, I’m not in the studio making the same song over and over.
AllHipHop: Do you freestyle everything?
Baby Smoove: I can’t tell you the last song I wrote, it might be “BLICKY.” I wrote an 8 and finished it off in the studio. I’d write a 4, an 8, then finish in the studio because I couldn’t’ freestyle. The year before last if you would’ve told me [to freestyle], I would’ve been blank. I didn’t like that, that was a fault in my moment. I worked with it, I knew I wouldn’t wake up the next morning and be Lil Wayne. It varies now, I could do a song in 20 or 30 minutes. Or an hour, depends how hard I’m thinking about it. I overthink sometimes.
AllHipHop: Talk about making “omg,” that’s me and Sophie’s favorite song of yours.
Baby Smoove: “OMG” was made by accident! The song was already done, there was no “OMG” in it. At the end of the song, I kept saying “oh my God, oh my God…” It was on beat, I was saying it to the engineer. That’s when it clicked, “oh s##t say it.” Then I said “gimme another adlib!” It was so hard to me. That song should’ve went everywhere, all around the world. It’s in my top 5. It’s overlooked and I hate it, that’s what made me stop dropping music for a year.
AllHipHop: For real?
Baby Smoove: Yeah, I really don’t care. I make music for me, this is what I love doing. This is my hobby, my art. You don’t gotta listen. I don’t do this to make other people happy. I like making good music.
AllHipHop: Talk about how the new project, I’m Still Perfect, compares to Mr. Perfect.
Baby Smoove: I made a CD in 2018 called Why so Serious, it got overlooked. It didn’t get all the attention it deserved, but it’s a process. I had 3K followers, I’m always in my head. So I did I’m Still Serious, which was Why so Serious on steroids. Y’all better pay attention to what I’m doing, this ain’t no game. Don’t play with me. I’m Still Perfect was Mr. Perfect on steroids. Mr. Perfect got its attention, but people forgot that I was perfect. I had to really let them know, I do this s##t. This is not a game with me.
AllHipHop: Why no features?
Baby Smoove: I don’t need nobody on my songs. I don’t really trust n##gas anyway. That’s a lot of trust to give somebody a real open verse.
AllHipHop: One time for Detroit though? I f##k with Icewear Vezzo.
Baby Smoove: I got a song with Vezzo, that’s enough features right there for my career. I don’t make a song and think “what’s his name will be hard on this.” Nah, I’m hard on this. I’ma take the second verse, what? Come on.
AllHipHop: What’s your love for basketball?
Baby Smoove: That’s me. [laughs] I am the basketball. I’m supposed to be in the NBA, that’s why there’s so many basketball references in the music. I’m in the league for real, just not their league. I’m a superstar, franchise player of course. I love basketball, I really do.
AllHipHop: Do you have ball skills?
Baby Smoove: I can play! I’m not Michael Jordan, but I can put that b##ch in the rim. I’m a couple years rusty but give me a week or 2, I’ma be in the celebrity games for sure.
AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with the Melo family?
Baby Smoove: That’s my family, I’m the fourth brother. I’m the fourth Ball, Baby Smoove Ball. There’s Zo, Gelo, Melo, and me.
AllHipHop: When are you going on tour?
Baby Smoove: F##k, when can we go on tour? I’ll gladly go. I miss it. We get turnt. I stay getting in the crowd, bringing everybody on stage. We’ll stay, don’t give a f##k if the time’s supposed to end. It’s a party, a celebration. They came to see me, come on.
AllHipHop: Goals for yourself as an artist at this point in your career?
Baby Smoove: I want a lot of plaques, sold-out stadiums. Hang it all round my house. You know how you go in the studio and they have all them plaques? I want all me, lined up in my house.
