| Big Bert | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Anthony Smith |
| Also known as | Robert Anthony |
| Genres | R&B, Pop, hip hop, urban pop, dance-pop |
| Occupations | Record producer, songwriter, composer, musician |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Big Bert Music |
| Associated acts | Brandy, Kiley Dean, Dave Hollister, Ray J, Rodney Jerkins |
| Website | BigBertEntertainement.com |
Robert Anthony Smith, professionally known as Big Bert or Robert Anthony, is an American record producer, composer, songwriter and musician, who made his break in the industry when Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins consulted him to join his Darkchild collective in the late 1990s. He went on to co-producing alongside Jerkins on tracks for bands like B2K and the Spice Girls, prior to contributions own productions to projects by Jennifer Lopez, Dave Hollister, Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland and Kiley Dean in the early to mid-2000s.
During the ensuing production of Brandy's Full Moon album, he became involved romantically with the singer. The couple quietly began a regular relationship during the summer of 2001 but their union did not become known until February 2002—the same month Norwood revealed that she was expecting her first child. However, a year after the birth of their daughter Sy'rai Iman Smith—an event tracked by the four-part MTV reality series Special Delivery—Smith and Norwood officially announced their separation.[1] It was not until 2004, that Smith revealed that the pair was actually never legally wed but they just had portrayed the notion of nuptials to preserve Norwood's public image.[2]