| Smitty | |
|---|---|
Smitty in 2005 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Varick Dre Smith |
| Origin | Little Haiti, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper Entertainer Songwriter |
| Labels | Blackground/Interscope/Close Range/Universal |
| Website | Official site |
Varick D. Bennet, better known as Smitty, is a American rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter from Little Haiti, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida.
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While growing up in Little Haiti, Varick came home one day to see a friend fatally shot due to involvement in a drug conflict.[1] The incident made him more aware of his future. In 1997 he decided to enroll at Florida A&M University 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.[2] 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
Opportunities to sign with Aftermath Records, Arista Records, Capitol Records, Def Jam, Elektra Records, and Jive Records were all offered, but were turned down in lieu of creative freedom.[3] 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.[4]
In July 2005, Smitty released his debut single effort "Diamonds on My Neck", 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.[5] 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".