Smitty
Encyclopedia
Varick D. Bennet, better known as Smitty, is a American
rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter
from Little Haiti
, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida
.
to major in journalism. However, his aspiration to become a full-fledged artist led him to switch coasts after only two and half years of school. He would eventually, through a friend, get the opportunity to start in the hip-hop industry by flying out to meet with legendary producer Dr. Dre
while he was filming The Wash
. After many hours waiting around on set, Varick finally got the chance to rap in front of Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre was impressed and Varick was asked to work on a few tracks for The Wash soundtrack
. He is also a good basketball player.
In addition to working on the soundtrack, Varick written two Billboard
Hot 100
chart-toppers, "Shake Ya Tailfeather
" by P. Diddy, Nelly
& Murphy Lee and "Bump, Bump, Bump
" by B2K
. He also has collaborated with fellow hip-hop artists such as Trick Daddy
, Scarface
, Kanye West
, T.I.
, and an unknown producer BMG
, Capitol Records
, Def Jam, Elektra Records
, and Jive Records
were all offered, but were turned down in lieu of creative freedom. Smitty eventually signed with Clive Davis' J Records
in 2003.
As of April 2008, Smitty is no longer with J Records, according to an interview with WordofSouth.com. He is currently putting the finishing touches on a deal with Chameleon/Blackground
/Universal
, and hopes to release his debut album soon after the deal is final. The deal never went through and now there is an official deal with Interscope Records.
", which charted at Billboard charts; a music video was directed by Hype Williams
. His second single, "Died in Your Arms Tonight", failed to chart. However the remix with T-Pain seemed to be a hit on the Youtube website. A debut album, Life of a Troubled Child, was scheduled for release in late 2005 but was shelved. He released three mixtapes, The Voice of the Ghetto, Heart of the South, and Bigger Than Life. Recently Smitty did a record with rapper T.I.
called "Mind On My Money". On October 13, 2010 Smitty released a new single entitled "Burr".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
from Little Haiti
Little Haiti
Little Haiti or La Petite Haïti, and traditionally known as Lemon City, is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States known as a traditional center for Haitian immigrants, and Francophone culture in the city.-Lemon City, early farming days:...
, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
.
Biography
While growing up in Little Haiti, Varick came home one day to see a friend fatally shot due to involvement in a drug conflict. The incident made him more aware of his future. In 1997 he decided to enroll at Florida A&M UniversityFlorida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
to major in journalism. However, his aspiration to become a full-fledged artist led him to switch coasts after only two and half years of school. He would eventually, through a friend, get the opportunity to start in the hip-hop industry by flying out to meet with legendary producer Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
while he was filming The Wash
The Wash (film)
The Wash is a hip hop-styled film written and directed by DJ Pooh and starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and DJ Pooh, with appearances by Eminem and Ludacris. The film was released on November 16, 2001.-Plot:...
. After many hours waiting around on set, Varick finally got the chance to rap in front of Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre was impressed and Varick was asked to work on a few tracks for The Wash soundtrack
The Wash soundtrack
The Wash is a 2001 soundtrack album followed by the movie The Wash, released on November 6, 2001. The album was produced by multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.- Reception :...
. He is also a good basketball player.
In addition to working on the soundtrack, Varick written two Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart-toppers, "Shake Ya Tailfeather
Shake Ya Tailfeather
"Shake Ya Tailfeather" is a single by the rappers Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, released in 2003 from the Bad Boys II Soundtrack. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, giving Nelly his third number one on the chart, P. Diddy's fourth, and Lee's first...
" by P. Diddy, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
& Murphy Lee and "Bump, Bump, Bump
Bump, Bump, Bump
"Bump, Bump, Bump" is a 2003 hit single by B2K featuring P. Diddy, taken from their album Pandemonium!. It was written by R. Kelly and Varick Smith and produced by R. Kelly. It became B2K's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and reached number one for one week starting on...
" by B2K
B2K
B2K was an American R&B music group. The group met in 1998, established in 2001, and managed by music producer Chris Stokes with Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion as members. The group disbanded in 2004 due to internal disagreements.-2001-2002: B2K:...
. He also has collaborated with fellow hip-hop artists such as Trick Daddy
Trick Daddy
Maurice Young , better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is a certified platinum American rapper and producer from Miami, Florida.-Music career:...
, Scarface
Scarface (rapper)
Brad Terrence Jordan , better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper, and recording artist from Houston, Texas and a member of the Geto Boys. He is originally from South Park, Houston.-Life and career:...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, and an unknown producer BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
Record deals
Opportunities to sign with Aftermath Records, Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, Def Jam, Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, and Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
were all offered, but were turned down in lieu of creative freedom. Smitty eventually signed with Clive Davis' J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
in 2003.
As of April 2008, Smitty is no longer with J Records, according to an interview with WordofSouth.com. He is currently putting the finishing touches on a deal with Chameleon/Blackground
Blackground Records
Blackground Records is an American record label owned by entertainment attorney and artist manager Barry Hankerson and his son Jomo Hankerson.-History:...
/Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, and hopes to release his debut album soon after the deal is final. The deal never went through and now there is an official deal with Interscope Records.
Discography
In July 2005, Smitty released his debut single effort "Diamonds on My NeckDiamonds on My Neck
"Diamonds on My Neck" is the first single to be released from Smitty's planned debut album, Life of a Troubled Child. The single was released in 2005 to moderate success, charting at #89 on the Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs...
", which charted at Billboard charts; a music video was directed by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
. His second single, "Died in Your Arms Tonight", failed to chart. However the remix with T-Pain seemed to be a hit on the Youtube website. A debut album, Life of a Troubled Child, was scheduled for release in late 2005 but was shelved. He released three mixtapes, The Voice of the Ghetto, Heart of the South, and Bigger Than Life. Recently Smitty did a record with rapper T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
called "Mind On My Money". On October 13, 2010 Smitty released a new single entitled "Burr".