The
best fiction is always based in some truth, even if the truth hasn’t
happened yet. 17 year-old rapper K-Smith has already lived a life
that has entertained millions. The nephew of box office superstar
and Grammy Award winning MC,
Will Smith, K is intimately
acquainted with the character his uncle popularized on television.
“I’m the real Fresh Prince,” he says confidently. “[In Philly] I was
in placements because I used to act up, sent away to Juvenile
facilities. Then I came out here and carried my problems to L.A. a
little bit. When I finally came to this music thing it got me on the
right path.” Before K became immersed in melodies he made noise in
less constructive ways. The discipline of home schooling and
organized sports couldn’t tame his allure for breaking the law. “It
was fighting, being around the wrong people. That whole lifestyle in
philly,” he remembers. Like his sitcom counterpart, around 2004 he
moved out to L.A to stay with his uncle, hoping the warm weather and
open spaces would change his perspective a bit. While growing up in
the presence of a box office star and millionaire came with definite
advantages, Kyle didn’t allow it to spoil him. “What keeps me level
is that I still go to Philly and live with my mom. I’ve witnessed
both sides. I go back to Philly but I’ve slept in Nelson Mandela’s
house and the White House.” With that much talent in his gene pool,
it wasn’t long before K would work on making waves of his own.
“Seeing my uncle perform and seeing how people respond to him [made
me want to rap.] I love pleasing the crowd and getting the attention
back.” After cutting his teeth at local shows K-Smith is putting the
finishing touches on his debut album, Streetz to Hollywood. The
first single, “Better Man” features a lady-pleasing cameo from
Omarion and establishes K-Smith as a
charismatic young talent that is eager to make his own mark on the
music industry. “[People] think I’m going to follow in the footsteps
of my uncle. You won’t hear crazy cursing from me, but you’ll hear
more edgy records,” he says. “I have a cut called ‘Million Bucks’
that samples Ludacris on the hook
(from his hit “Stand Up”) where I rhyme ‘I hit the club, when I
leave, they be all in awe/ got shorties takin’ off they bra like
it’s mardi gras.’ That’s not Fresh Prince at all.” The title track
gives K a chance to display his story telling abilities as well,
sharing his unique perspective of life in Philly and L.A. “Picture
this, a twelve year old caught in a trap/Dad left when he was three,
mom strung out on crack.” However, this young man, who counts LL
Cool J and 50 Cent amongst his
influences, is ready to take his camera-ready style and confident
delivery and set a new standard for rocking a party. With production
from The Trackmasters, Mike City and newcomers Jukebox and Elijah
“EK” Kelly, Streetz to Hollywood is sure to see heavy rotation on
radio and T.V outlets nationwide. “There are a lot of joints for the
ladies and I have club records. The fellas will respect my swagger,”
he says with a grin. “I say stuff to the ladies that the fellas
might want to say, but they don’t even have to say it. Just turn the
song on and I’ll say it for them.”
Bio from K Smith's
MySpace.com page
