K-Smith Speaks
Nephew of Will Smith sets his sights on being the next "Ladies Man" of rap.
September 20, 2007 - There's no question about it, K-Smith has got it good. For starters the Philly bred rapper is related to Big Willie. That's right, Will Smith is his uncle. Having somebody of that caliber in your corner goes a long way in an industry that's still ruled by #4080.
"I mean he gave me all the freedom to control my whole creative process for the album," he says of Uncle Will's involvement with his debut project. "He really helped me financially and with the business aspect of things. He doesn't dictate anything to me. He just shows me the ropes. Everything is my decision; he's just there to oversee everything." What this means is that he's not there to turn K-Smith into Will Smith, Jr. "Not at all, not at all," the young rapper laughs.
While other up-in-coming rappers continue to play it hard by continually repeating the bling themed excess of "gangsta verite," K-Smith prefers to keep it slick and smooth. He goes for more of a ladies man approach. Heck, his first single, "Better Man," features non other than Omarion on the hook. That should tell you something right there.
"I've got a lot of tracks for the ladies," says Smith. "Yeah, I'm a ladies man. I love the ladies, man." When asked why he didn't go the more popular thug route Smith is quick to point out, "Because that's not the type of artist I am. I mean I have songs for my fellas, that they'll be able to relate to. But I just go off the type of person that I am naturally. And I know that on the daily what I like to do is hang out with beautiful women. There's nothing wrong with that at all."
Even though Smith is a self-proclaimed "ladies man," he's still got a fair amount of the streets running through his blood. Born and bred in Philadelphia, he's spent a little bit of time in juvenile detention. Cliché as it may sound, too, music pretty much saved his life and calmed down his more wild side. "Absolutely," he says. "Music definitely allowed me to clean up my act and stay focused on one thing. Instead of being out on the streets, I go into the studio."
Speaking of studios, Smith is lucky on that front. Instead of sleeping on his uncle's couch, he actually has his own semi-private wing at the Will Smith estate. "I actually got a whole wing to myself," he says when asked how comfortable the couches are at Smith Manor. "I got my whole wing. My side of the house is like living in an apartment." Plus what's nice is that the family is basically right around the corner. "I love the fact that I'm out there with my uncle Will and everybody. I get to watch what he does every day, you know what I'm sayin'? I get to watch him. Who better to watch? At the same time, though, I don't look at him like Will Smith. I look at him like my regular uncle. I've known him my whole life."
So what is it that makes K-Smith a better man than all the other rappers out there today? "A lot of artists right now, they have hot singles out. You know, they know how to make hot singles that get on the radio, but they don't know how to put a full package together. They don't know how to make a whole album hot," he boldly states. "Also, they don't know how to establish themselves as their own brand. A lot times the record is bigger than the artist. Me, I'm setting up the K-Smith brand, so I'll have longevity!"
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