Bio: Smith - A Unique Voice in Hip-Hop
Right from the start, you know there's something different about Smith.
His voice is deep, intense and commanding. Yet the cadence of his words is paced, almost relaxed. He flows with the beat like a surfer riding the waves.
Combine this with an unusual accent and you have a distinct style rarely heard in hip hop circles.
Smith just released his first world class solo, I Will Never Stop. The song brings together years of honed rap skills. It combines pressing, urban hip hop with a theatrical flair that adds yet another creative layer to Smith's work.
Born Janis Kalejs, Smith grew up in Latvia, an Eastern European country under the former Soviet Bloc.
Smith's passion for music began young. At age seven, he started lessons on the accordion, a traditional instrument in Latvia.
His love affair with rap began a decade later, in 1996, when he ventured on his first trip to Germany and bought a hit album by American hip hop group Kris Kross.
In 2003, Smith's passion for rap grew during a student exchange program in the United States. With newly-acquired English skills, Smith returned to Latvia and recorded his first rap track in English, All Rights Reserved.
His second track in 2008, I Pray God, a collaborative song, got local recognition and radio airplay.
In 2010, after collaborating on a number of hip hop songs in his native Latvian language that continue to receive radio play, Smith decided to go for broke. He set aside a successful management career and flew to Canada. His sole goal was to pursue his dream of becoming a rap star.
Living in a basement apartment, Smith took a minimum wage job at a moving company. He worked long hours, six days a week, and began saving for studio sessions
Smith eventually met Toronto music producer Sean Michael Paddison (www.zubmusic.com) and created I Will Never Stop.
A solid team, Smith and Paddison are already planning several new projects.

Ontario,Canada

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