October 10, 2005 @ 12:00 am

Smitty - Diamond in the Rough

by: Casey Woods

On one side of him, a dancer grinds her abundant curves in a hypnotic ellipse. On the other, childhood friend-turned-spiritual adviser Reverend Jermaine Turner casts a dignified gaze over the room and its pockets of gyrating flesh.

Smitty’s been sitting like that most of his life — with temptation on his left side and redemption on his right. “I’m the guy who can be best friends with thugs and killers, then bring the Reverend around those thugs and killers,” he says, flicking a dollar to a stripper. “I’m the best of both worlds, heart of the South, voice of the ghetto.”

The contradictions live on in his upcoming debut album, Life of a Troubled Child. From the soulful rhymes of “Ghetto” to the addictive narcissistic banger “Diamonds on My Neck,” which is blazing Miami clubs, the album is part invitation, part demand to see what Smitty sees. “It’s an autobiography of who I am and the things that made me,” he says. “Music is the biggest platform to help people everywhere,” adds Rev. Turner, who embraces the irony of his position as Smitty’s running partner. “With Smitty, I sometimes end up in shocking places. It’s not common, but that’s what makes Smitty Smitty, and it’s all ministry to me.”

Growing up Varick D. Smith in this same neighborhood, Smitty sought an outlet to depict urban life, which at first wasn’t music. He studied journalism and broadcasting at Florida A&M University for two-and-a-half years before dropping out to follow rap’s lure to Los Angeles. In 2001, a brief encounter with Dr. Dre on the set of The Wash put Smitty on the escalator to success. He quickly became a secret weapon in the Aftermath camp, writing tunes for former Dre protégé Truth Hurts and material for the temporarily delayed Detox album. He even extended his songwriting services to other musical giants, among them B2K (“Bump Bump Bump”) and Diddy’s part in the endemic “Shake Ya Tailfeather.”

Though both Dre and Diddy offered record deals, Smitty eventually signed with J Records in late 2003. Now he’s set to step into the limelight after helping it shine on others. “When I was writing for other artists, I was wishing I was in the position I’m in now,” he says. “Now that I am, the pressure is all on me. I’m more than ready to be out there performing instead of watching someone else be me.” Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.

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Article tags: Smitty, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Life Of A Troubled Child