(AllHipHop.com) Last week at Atlanta’s A3C festival, DJ Smallz announced that he will be releasing an official Southern Smoke album in collaboration with renowned producer Drumma Boy.
Known across the south for his popular mixtape series Southern Smoke, the Florida DJ is eagerly anticipating the release of his debut album.
“Yea, I’m starting to work on the Southern Smoke album, and I’m doing it with Drumma Boy. The concept of the album is Chronic 2001 for the south, and the future of southern hip-hop artists. Instead of Dr. Dre, I got Drumma Boy ya feel me?” DJ Smallz told reporters at A3C Festival.
Drumma Boy has produced hit records for numerous artists, including Lil Wayne, Baby, Ace Hood, Busta Rhymes, Young Jeezy, Game, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane and others.
Repping his Fear Factor Music movement, DJ Smallz has played a behind the scene’s roll on some of the south’s most popular records over the years, including DJ Khaled’s#### single, “Welcome to My Hood”, and a song on Ace Hood’s most recent project, Lord Knows.
Despite the big records that DJ Smallz has helped put out over the years, he still finds value in working with the independent and underground artists that are making headway across the rap game.
“I always mess with the independents, salute to the independents. I’m an indpendent myself. I’m’ a DJ and we got that hungry entrepreneurial spirit. When you see DJ Smallz there’s like 50 people behind the DJ Smallz symbol right here and that’s the truth,” DJ Smallz explained about his Southern Smoke projects.
Smallz credits his success and solid fan base with his attention to the technology of the Internet and its use in hip-hop’s marketing and branding initiatives.
“For me, when I was coming up I embraced the Internet technology and I was one of the DJs that was up on it and getting their music online,” DJ Smallz explained about his use of innovative technology on the internet and his role in hip-hop. “When blogs came around, I saw it an opportunity again to be on of the first DJs really go in on that. There are a couple of other DJ’s with blogs, but as far as the south I was one of the first people on that.”
DJ Smallz is looking forward to the releases of his work with Young Dro and Talib Kweli, Chevy Woods, Fiend, Lil’ Scrappy, Plies and Big Hud.
“I got a nice sized payroll, making sure everyone is happy and at the end of the day we are all just having fun and doing it and that’s the most important thing. Like this album we are doing called, Southern Smoke, we are just having fun and I think when you are having fun that’s when the hits come out. When you work on stuff and you don’t expect stuff, that’s the kind of things that happen.”
DJ Smallz currently has a record entitled “Southern Smoke” featuring Drumma Boy, Alley Boy and Eastside Jody that is currently making its rounds on the mixtape circuit with a visual to be followed at the end of October.
DJ Smallz also has an iPhone/Android application available on iTunes on Halloween this year.