The prolific SmooVth has just dropped a new project named Young SmooVth; a collection of unreleased and older tracks that give listeners the chance to hear some of his early work. We’re excited to be bringing you the exclusive premiere of the partial stream (you’re going to need to make the purchase to hear the whole thing), which you can check below. Keep scrolling to also read our SmooVth interview.
You make a lot of records with Hus Kingpin, and Young SmooVth features tracks from when the two of you went by the name Tha Connection. Tell us about that time period.
Hus Kingpin is my partner in crime. We started this shit together. Back in ‘05 i used to leave school and go to his house and record. This was before Tha Connection. It got to a point where that’s all we did. We started with MySpace. Found producers on there and started reaching out for beats. Some of these guys didn’t even speak English, so I found myself struggling sometimes to communicate to get the beats.
At the time we built our name on myspace. We went country to country and tried to conquer everywhere by getting producers from different places around the world to mess with us. Before you knew it, word of mouth got us buzzing, and so Tha Connection was formed. It was a good time, but also a gritty time. Hanging with a bunch of dudes, hustling, beef with rival crews. We were still in the streets doing street things…and so that hunger and street vibe can be heard in the earlier music.
What made you move away from going by Tha Connection when you dropped later full collaborations like 2016’s H.N.I.C. album?
Well actually, Hus got into his own business and didn’t record as much anymore. I had my son, and so real life slowed down what we were doing. Most of that early music was made under the same roof, in my basement. Hus moved out of state and I got caught up in real life. More focused on taking care of my kid. So once we got back to recording, for years he recorded solo work and I recorded a lot of solo work. We began to reinvent ourselves after that long hiatus. It got to a point where since he was out of state and we both were working on our own terms, we made names for ourselves.
The people started to recognize “Hus Kingpin” & “SmooVth” more. We actually had this discussion, whether we should use our regular names or if we should still go by Tha Connection. We technically still are Tha Connection but we felt our solo names were more relevant, so that’s what we stuck with.
Breakdown some of the other unreleased and older tracks on Young SmooVth for us.
All these older joints tell a story. I realize, my following now is larger than it once was in my earlier days. I figured a lot of listeners don’t know my story and where i come from, so I just wanted to take the people back in time so I could give them the full spectrum. I wanted to show my range. The music then was a bit more gritty, the younger I was, the more raw the music, because as I said before, I was still in the streets getting into dumb shit with my guys. Joints like “Trapeze,” “The Pledge,” and “Shimmery,” show that. I’m doing what I always do. Just painting a picture of my neighborhood, what I’ve seen and what I was going through. These days when I rhyme, I’m referring to the past as an OG and not wanting to go back to that. Back then, I was rhyming as a soldier actually still in it.
You’ve done a few projects solely with one producer, like the Medellin albums with Giallo Point. As a producer yourself, is it sometimes hard to let go and allow someone else to completely craft the sound?
Shout out to my guy Giallo Point. The work we’ve done together definitely changed the landscape. Shit definitely pushed my career forward in a good way. Working with him is easy. It doesn’t get any easier really. I feel like, if the producer knows your sound and what you’re looking for, it shouldn’t be difficult at all. If anything it should be less stressful since you don’t have to take the time to craft your own work. A lot of people don’t know, doing it yourself is wonderful but a timely task. Working on my own I’ve had to dig for samples, chop em up, make the beat, write the rhyme, and then mix the track and vocals. I can do ALL OF THAT myself and have many times before but, I’d say it’s much easier to work with a producer that knows you and what you like because then creating becomes effortless. It’s only more difficult if you’re dealing with a producer with trash beats or one that hasn’t done their research on you as an emcee.
You put in a lot of work (we went over our archives recently and found we’ve posted over 50 singles, albums or EPs you are on since 2015!). Is putting out so much of your own music and features a way to maximise streaming revenue, a way to keep pushing your brand, or both?
Both. Ive got mouths to feed so it pays off in the end. Being independent not only pushes your brand, it surely does bring in more revenue. I don’t want to give everyone the jewels. Not trying to give them my formula because there’s plenty of artists out here stealing the sauce and not giving you credit for it. But, for me I drop singles and projects to boost my name, to build a demand, so that people want to purchase the music, merchandise or feature. It’s all about doing what I love but at the same time, being able to provide and take care of my family as well.
You also work with a lot of small, boutique labels to press up your music on vinyl. How do you feel about the vinyl resurgence in general?
Yes absolutely. Shout out to Tuff Kong and FXCK RXP…and the other labels I’ve worked with. I think its dope honestly. These guys are overseas and have a following of their own so, releasing music with them only opens you up to other markets. It’s all about exposing yourself, spreading your name out to more people. The vinyl resurgence is great, I love it. It’s dope, it gives the people other things to look forward to. Collectors items.
Now that Young SmooVth is out, what’s the next big project on the horizon?
I’ve got a few surprises in the works. Two albums I was asked not to reveal yet. One of them is finished, artwork and everything. The other is 60% complete. What I can reveal though is this joint project with Hus, Like Purple for Chocolate, and some shit I’ve got in the cut with Bronze Nazareth. Oh, and shout out my dude J.O.D. We got one too. So about 4/5 projects in the pipeline right now. I’m trying to suffocate the game now.
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Young SmooVth is available on digital now – go here to get it. Follow SmooVth on Twitter and Instagram. Interview by Grown Up Rap Editor Ben Pedroche.