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ne year ago, Smitty released his single “Diamonds on My Neck.” Though it promoted an album that’s still unreleased, the knocker affirmed a buzz that the Miami native, born Varick Smith had been building for five years. Still on a journey that paired him with Dr. Dre, P Diddy, and Jay-Z for different periods, Smitty has fought to develop his career as he saw fit – as an artist and entertainer that could not be kept in a corner.

The single may’ve pulled Smitty into the limelight. However, the 26 year-old today emphasizes that his rhyme content will consist of much more than just jewelry appraisal. As the finishing touches are put to his J Records album, Miami-based Counterflow Recordings has joined Smitty in releasing The Voice of the Ghetto. The indie release features Kanye West and Scarface, with production from Hi-Tek, 9th Wonder, and Buckwild. Like the great-ones of New York, Smitty intends to speak to the masses on several levels. In between the dance-floor and the library, there are the streets, and that’s where Smitty says you’ll find him.

AllHipHop.com: You have a very interesting album title, Life of a Troubled Child. Can you give a glimpse into your life so that they may connect with you and your songs?

Smitty: I would never describe my upbringing as being terrible. It was not a horrible experience in the least bit. I have always had a supportive family who cares about me, and has encouraged me to want more out of life than what the streets had to offer. However, my life was no crystal stair [either]. I had my share of struggle that has helped to shape me into a very humble man. I saw many things that could have destroyed me as a person, but only helped to make me stronger. I saw poverty up close and personal. I saw people whose lives were destroyed by drugs and prostitution. Yet [looking back], I would not change a single thing about it. It is for all of this that I named my record, Life of a Troubled Child. It is an album that gives an inner look into the life of a person like many men and women who could have succumbed to the pressures of life, but persevered and made it.

AllHipHop.com: What about the single then, “Diamonds on My Neck”?

Smitty: “Diamonds on My Neck,” while it was a hot club banger, barely touches the service to how deep I get on my upcoming release.

AllHipHop.com: You were a journalism student at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. What made you decide to study journalism of all subject areas? Why did you not finish?

Smitty: First of all, I would like to send a big shout out to all of the HBCU’s and those attending. Yes, I did attend Florida A&M University from 1997 to 2000. I originally went to school to study sound engineering. However, they did not offer that course selection, so I kind of fell into journalism. It was a way for me to see my way into the industry. Journalists are very important to launching the careers of many people from politicians to artists, and they hold a lot of power in their hand. I was a poor writer before I went to FAMU, but journalism perfected my writing. Although I did not have a chance to finish, I am going back to school. College definitely opened my eyes to see that the world was a much bigger place than I ever knew. I am very grateful for the experience, because it gave me the motivation to pursue my dream of being an artist.

AllHipHop.com: So you leave school and what came next?

Smitty: When I came home that summer, I knew that I could not stay around my house and do nothing. I knew I was not a nine-to-five type of dude who be happy and complacent with just making some money. I had to try to make it in the industry. I knew I wanted to be an artist, and I was going to go hard at the goal. Again, my surroundings did not allow for failure, and I refused to be a has-been. Therefore, I packed myself up and went out to California. I chose California since New York is full of people who want a chance at stardom. L.A. called me, and I went out there.

AllHipHop.com: What was it like to met Dr. Dre on the set of The Wash?

Smitty: My first meeting with Dre was through my friends C-Love and Charlie, as they told Dre about me and how I wanted to be an artist. Dre tells them to have me come to the set. I literally waited for him about 15, 16 hours. I will have to admit for the first time in my life, I was nervous about the encounter. I had butterflies and everything. I finally spit for him. Two weeks later, I was in the studio with him. Dre put me up in an apartment. He explained to me that I was a future priority as he was working with Truth Hurts and on the Detox album. I completely understood what the situation was, and was just happy to be there.

AllHipHop.com: If you were a part of Dr. Dre’s camp, how did Puffy come into the fold?

Smitty: I was staying out there in California, working with Aftermath and Dre. Meanwhile, I am generating a little bit of a buzz. Again, C-Love and Charlie advocated for me on my behalf. They tell Puffy about how much talent I had during his visit for the taping of Jay Leno, and he wanted to meet me. A few days later, I flew to New York and began working with Puff at Bad Boy. I was an instrumental part of songs such as “Shake Ya Tailfeather” featuring Nelly & Murphy Lee from the Bad Boys 2 Soundtrack and B2K’s “Bump, Bump, Bump.”

AllHipHop.com: That was a major jump. Were you at all worried about how people would look at you since you were first put on by Dr. Dre?

Smitty: Let it be known that I have a deep respect for Dre. However, it was a situation where I knew that I would not necessarily have the opportunity to do what it is that I would like to do, and that was to be an artist. Meeting with Puff only bought me a few steps closer to being the artist that I have always wanted to be. This is a business at the end of the day. Nothing is personal.

AllHipHop.com: So then came your try at Roc-A-Fella…

Smitty: Again, C-Love and Charlie Mack were meeting with Jay-Z. They talked me up so much that he wanted to hear me spit a verse. Since I was out in LA at the time, they called me up on the phone and I spit a verse for him. Two weeks later, I came out to New York to go in the studio with him at Baseline. He explains that he was interested in me. At the same time, I was a member of Face Mob – a group consisting of the legendary Scarface, Big Gee, Young Malice, and would be produced by up and comer, Jazze Pha. Face Mob was to also be signed to Roc-A-Fella, and while that was a cool situation, I knew deep down inside that I still wanted to make an impression by being a solo artist.

AllHipHop.com: You have had your share of “almost” and “could have” situations. How did you feel once you were finally signed to J Records?

Smitty: After all that has happened, I had an incredible buzz surrounding me. I was finally beginning to be noticed for the artistry that I exhibited beyond the writing. I was courted by a few labels including Bad Boy Records. However, I signed with J, because Clive Davis showed me the most genuine love. He understands what it takes to make an artist successful. He believes in artist development, but he also believes in actually putting you out an artist. Everything that has happened to me has only made me a stronger person, and if I had to do it all again, I would do things the exact same way.

AllHipHop.com: What can the listeners expect to hear from Smitty? What makes your sound unique and all your own?

Smitty: I must reiterate, “Diamonds on My Neck” was a commercial hit. It was a song to create a buzz for me. It served its purpose because it provided me with some exposure. However, it does not show the true depths of who I am as a writer or an artist. Listeners should look forward to the release of the single “Ghetto” featuring appearances by Kanye West and Scarface [on Smitty’s Counterflow Recordings album The Voice of the Ghetto]. I want the listeners to know that I have something of value to say. I feel that artists do not make songs that real people can relate to. Everyone will always have their opinions, but I tried to touch all that I could. I make music for the love of Hip-Hop.

AllHipHop.com: How do you look at the Southern takeover that’s going on in Hip-Hop right now?

Smitty: I represent the Dirty South all day, everyday. I must say that the last shall be first. It is time that the South has written its own chapter in the book of rap history. Back in the day, rappers from the South were not given their respect. They were often seen or thought of as having little to no lyrical content. However, I looked to some of my inspirations such as: Scarface, The Geto Boys, 8 Ball & MJG, 2 Live Crew, Outkast, and Jam Pony Express, and they always had a message in their music regardless of what it discussed – from poverty to sex. I am glad to see that lyricists like T.I., Ludacris, and Jeezy are doing their thing. It will spin back around to the East eventually, but it will make everyone look at the region a little differently. Now, when we battle, it will not be about where you are from but more so what you have to say. New York started it all. You have to respect it for what it is.

DJ Khaled believes he was born to be an entertainer. That’s understandable, considering that the 30-year-old New Orleans native has spent more than half of his life DJing. Even his birth name, Khaled Khaled, makes it seem like his life was never intended to be ordinary. For the past 15 years, that predestined entertainer has found his goal commanding South Florida Hip-Hop fans to follow Khaled’s signature phrase and “listennn.”

The Miami-based DJ is now using that same enthusiastic self-promotion for Listennn…The Album, his debut on Koch Records. The Terror Squad DJ flexed his rolodex muscle and called on some of the top names in Hip-Hop to lend vocals and production. While Khaled can forever claim to have brought Beanie and ‘Kiss full circle, he’s not quick to follow suit with his own crew’s G-Unit issues. This kind of attention may draw attraction to the project, but will that be enough? DJ compilations are traditionally dismissed by critics and consumers. However, the self-proclaimed “new logo of Koch Records” is out to spin that notion right around.

AllHipHop.com: I noticed that you only produced three songs on your album. You’ve blessed other people’s albums with beats in the past, so why have only three on your own album?

DJ Khaled: Because me producing the whole album is not what I wanted to do. I produced three songs and got other producers so I can have a different sound. I want to win. I don’t need to go out and try to take all the shine. Other producers bring different things to the record, and it’s my job to make a hit record. DJ Khaled produced three, and there are 17 songs on the album, so let’s share the love.

AllHipHop.com: You have some interesting pairings on the album like Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss. They once had beef, so how did you manage to get them on “Problem” together?

DJ Khaled: Well I had seen Beanie Sigel and recorded that song at like seven [o’clock] in the morning. I waited in the studio and played the beat, turned the mic on, and he laid the verse. Then I just said, “Yo, we’re going to put Jadakiss on this song too.” Then he said, “That’s exactly what you should do; put Jadakiss on there.”

AllHipHop.com: Did it surprise you at all that he said that?

DJ Khaled: Nah, I asked him because I wanted to do it. I wanted to put Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel on a record together. I think they’re two incredible rappers and they should do more collaborating. I think they should do an album together. That would be crazy. Beanie Sigel was all for it when I told him I wanted to put him on the song, so I called Jadakiss and told him I wanted to put him on a song with Beanie Sigel and he said, “Let’s go.” Obviously, those brothers have been wanting to work together and I provided that service. Not anybody can pull that off, so I want everybody to understand that. Not anybody can just say they want to put Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel together on a song. First of all, you have to even get Jadakiss on the phone and find him. It’s very hard to get that guy on the mic, but I made it happen and that’s why this album is so crazy.

AllHipHop.com: Terror Squad and G-Unit have had words in the past, as well. Could the two camps squash their beef and have a similar peace?

DJ Khaled: I mean, the Terror Squad and G-Unit stuff, I don’t know if that could ever be fixed. For me speaking as a Terror Squad member, they’re not even on our radar. We’re making good music and we’re for the people. We’re the streets. Terror Squad is created by the streets, for the streets, and we’re going to keep reppin’ the streets. I’m not here to talk bad about anybody, but they’re not even our radar.

AllHipHop.com: The second single is going to be “Born and Raised in the County of Dade,” right? Aren’t you afraid that people outside of Miami won’t gravitate towards the song?

DJ Khaled: That’s definitely one of the potential singles with Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, and Pitbull. I’ll have a chance to rep my city and rep it to a higher level. I think people outside of Miami will [enjoy the song] because they did it for Houston and they did it for [Atlanta]. But I’m going to have more than one single out there. I got a Young Jeezy record and Kanye West record that’s going to be f**king huge.

AllHipHop.com: Other DJ’s like Drama, Envy, or Kay Slay have deals on major labels, so does it feel weird for you to go with Koch?

DJ Khaled: Not at all. I went to Koch because I like dealing with the underdogs. The people at Koch are family to me, and they all work. It’s not like when you’re dealing with the big companies and you have to find out who’s doing what. I can actually walk into to the office at Koch and talk to the president, Alan Grunblatt, to get what I need [on the spot]. I’m a priority at Koch; other companies might have put me on the shelf. I’m not dissing anybody, but Koch showed me a lot of love and we’re going to win! I’m going to be the new logo for Koch and I’m going to be the next Alan Grunblatt.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve always been very vocal about your pride in your Palestinian heritage. Why do you think so few Arab-Americans are in visible positions in Hip-Hop?

DJ Khaled: I mean, I hope that I’m opening the door for more of them to come out, but it’s about being on the grind, you know? It’s not where you’re from or what nationality you are; it’s about doing what you do and your hard work will pay off.

AllHipHop.com: Is that something you might promote more in the future?

DJ Khaled: I’m just going to promote peace.

AllHipHop.com: Rick Ross says you were the first DJ to play “Hustlin’” on the radio. What’s it like to give him that chance and then see him get signed?

DJ Khaled: It’s beautiful to see my brother come-up and see his dreams come true and get rich. For me to help his career, it’s a great feeling. Rick Ross is a loyal dude and he still reps for DJ Khaled. He’s part of the movement and I’m part of that movement.

AllHipHop.com: What movement?

DJ Khaled: The Miami movement. It’s an incredible, beautiful thing. We planned the whole thing out.

AllHipHop.com: On a recent episode of The Takeover, you said, “Miami is the sound, now. Out-of-towners are coming here to get the vibe from us.” What makes you say that?

DJ Khaled: Because I know that for a fact. Everybody records in Miami, everybody parties in Miami, and everybody gets their beats from Miami. We provide a vibe. When you go to New York, they provide a certain vibe for the music and that’s what we’re doing right now. That’s Miami.

AllHipHop.com: You’re originally from New Orleans, so what makes you rep Miami?

DJ Khaled: I’ve been living in Miami for 15 years and it’s only right for me to rep my city. Miami reps me and I rep them back and I love Miami. I’m going to rep them for the rest of my life.

AllHipHop.com: Have you been back to New Orleans since Katrina?

DJ Khaled: I haven’t been back. I would love to go out there soon because I still got some family out in New Orleans, so I want to go check on them when I can and see what’s happened for myself.

AllHipHop.com: Hopefully they are alright. Going back to what Rick Ross said, I also heard you recently play a song from an unsigned artist fresh out of jail. Why give a shot to an unknown like that?

DJ Khaled: People find out where I am and come see me because they know when I [play a record], it’s an automatic co-sign from me. I play what’s hot regardless of who you are because that makes me hot. Status doesn’t matter.

AllHipHop.com: What else is going on with you?

DJ Khaled: Cool & Dre, The Runners, and Fat Joe all work in Jerusalem [Khaled’s private recording studio]. I’m producing on new albums for Young Jeezy, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and Dre from Cool & Dre. After that, I plan on going into some executive things and work with a few artists, one in particular being Brisco.

AllHipHop.com: Why didn’t you start doing nationally-released mixtapes until “This Ain’t a Movie, Dogg”?

DJ Khaled: With my mixtapes, I put so much time and energy into them, so I just couldn’t do them [more often]. I could have put something out there, but that’s not how I wanted to do it. I do mixtapes when I can because I don’t want to just put a bunch of them out there. I’m starting to do a lot of mixtapes now with Lil’ Wayne and Birdman.

AllHipHop.com: “This Ain’t a Movie, Dogg” got noticed for having Scott Storch and Timbaland rework some of their beats in a live studio session. What made you do that?

DJ Khaled: Scott Storch and Timbaland are my friends, so that was just us having fun. I feel like the mixtape game can get a lot more creative. On “This Ain’t a Movie, Dogg,” I had to switch it up and do something different. I had to make everybody in the mixtape game step it up.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the difference between making those mixtapes and making Listennn… the Album?

DJ Khaled: These are whole songs with thought-out concepts. This is the real deal. I was involved in the whole process. This wasn’t just people sending me tracks. I’m involved in everything that went into this record. This is the best album in the world, AllHipHop! Coming out June 6th.

S

ometimes people get very close to their dreams, and realize that their current path is not the right one. After opening a show for Pastor Troy and Lil’ Scrappy in 2004, Spark Dawg was allegedly courted by Scrappy’s management. The Atlanta up-and-comers were impressed the rapper from central Texas. The 22 year-old says he was not invited, but simply told that he was the newest member of Scrappy’s G’$ Up Click. However, as Spark watched other like Crime Mob and Bohagon rise through the ranks to BME’s distribution deal with Warner Brothers, the artist felt left out.

Now back in Killeen, Texas, Spark plots his career for a second time. Supported by his childhood friends-turned-rappers, Green City, Sparks, has been featured on over 30 mixtapes. One in particular, “The Streets of the Dirty South Volume 4,” a three-disc effort Spark hosted with DJ Explicit, Magno, and Paul Wall, earned the collective a SEA Award this past year. The once-disillusioned Texan will decide if he’ll beckon to a major’s call as he continues to release street-level albums on Green City Records. As records like “Say U Wanna Squash It” featuring T.I. further circulate, it is Spark’s hope that he’ll be the next crowned lyricist of the South, doing so by his own hand.

AllHipHop.com: How long have you been rapping?

Spark: Pretty much, as long as I can remember. I really started taking it seriously around the time I graduated high school, in 2000. I made that trip to Atlanta to get it poppin’.

AllHipHop.com: Was it there that how you be down with G’$ Up Click?

Spark: It was a situation I was thrown in. It’s not like I ran up on [Lil’] Scrappy and asked to be a part of the group or anything. I had opened up a show, and his manager was feeling me and wanted to take me under his wing. [So then]I looked at it as I was sharing the same manager as Scrappy. A week or two later, I come to Scrap’s crib to kick it, and they showing me the G’$ Up handshake and s**t, saying you a member of G’$ Up and s**t, so I took it for what it was worth. Let it be known there is no beef with Lil’ Scrappy, my problem was with the manager.

AllHipHop.com: What lessons did you learn as a result of that which you can use in your Green City situation?

Spark: The main thing is like don’t just try to join or jump on somebody’s bandwagon ‘cause they got they own buzz. The s**t with me and Green City is realer, because I am from Texas, and I went to school with these cats. We all grew up together: middle school, high school. We been rapping together, I just happened to be the only person to be like, “I am going to sacrifice this time over here to see what I can get poppin’ now.” I came back to pick my click up. It’s definitely a better situation because my name is way more known now that I am not with G’$ Up then I was with the so-called “Prince of Crunk” out there in Atlanta.

AllHipHop.com: Looking at your career, why did you win “Best Mixtape” at the Southern Entertainment Awards?

Spark: I think there were a couple of factors. For one, the CD cover was crazy, it caught a lot of attention. At the time, Texas was just getting hot. We had Paul Wall right in the middle of it. Magno, who used to rap with Mike Jones, he is hot in Texas. Then you had a the newcomer. I think people were picking up because you had two known guys and then the newcomer and was like, “I want to check this dude out!” We all co-hosted it, and people embraced it. It was a hot as tape; it was three discs! S**t ain’t been done like that before.

AllHipHop.com: As the newcomer, what would you say your piece in the puzzle was or is?

Spark: I feel like am a voice of the New South. You can’t just call me a “country-ass rapper,” I got lyrics too. Nowadays, the market likes the country swang, twang, the way we talk. I also bring that lyricism. I feel like I got the perfect blend of both that’s going to keep every culture interested in what I am speaking and rapping about.

AllHipHop.com: Explain the Green City situation, what separates y’all from the rest, especially somebody in the limelight like Scrappy?

Spark: The main thing coming out of Green City is that a lot of times when you go a click, it’s because the first n***a came out was hot, and you just bringing your homeboys in the game because that’s the right thing to do. I think with me and Green City, it just so happened I was the first dude to get all that shine. It’s not like with out me there is no Green City, they’ve been doing it. When I left and went to Atlanta, they maintained that buzz here in Texas, so I had something to come back to. Anybody in Green City can go hard, that’s what separates us from a lot of these groups or clicks coming out.

AllHipHop.com: Some may’ve heard of the crew by way of the death of Big Rowdy. Can you tell us more about the man we saw in the rap obituaries…

Spark: Basically, Rowdy was a well known guy in the Central Texas area, kind of like an urban legend. He was an O.G. to us. He was the financial aspect Green City and without him, a lot of things we did would not have been possible. Promotional van, tour bus, it was all because of him. Studio time, without him, we could not have done have the s**t we did. We are the rappers, but you can’t rap with no money, it takes money to make money. It’s unfortunate that he was murdered the way he was but, in his name, we going to keep it moving. Everything we doing right now, we doing for Rowdy and his family.

AllHipHop.com: Green City is already operating on an indie level. As an artist and businessman, what are your aspirations?

Spark: I want to be known as one of the greats, man. A lot of people looked at T.I. like he was crazy when he said he was the “King of the South,” but you go to think like that. If you don’t believe you are the best at what you do, ain’t nobody going to believe in you. I just wanted to be known as one of the greats that put it down for my state. It’s a lot of greats that came out of here. Fat Pat, Screw, Paul Wall, DSR, Magno. I want to be one of those cats that came from the South, and showed the whole world that we got lyrics too, man.

AllHipHop.com: Where can you be found to show this?

Spark: I am on almost every mixtape in the South, so holler at your local hot DJ, and you will see a Spark track on there. For more information, www.myspace.com/dalonestarkid. That’s what it is.