Young SmooVth 2

By P80 Parks

On Young SmooVth 2, the Hempstead, Long Island emcee returns with another collection of vintage tracks showing his early days. Deeply Rooted Hiphop reconnected with one half of Tha Connection to gain some insight and hear a few stories from SmooVth’s formative years as an emcee. SmooVth breaks down some of the tracks from YS2 and shines some light on those moments in time.

SmooVth: “This was all during my younger days when me and Hus (Kingpin) were “Tha Connection” still. These were recorded between 2007 and 2013. The earliest one is Talk To Me, that’s 2007; Latest one is the one with Roze, that’s from 2013.”

The album opens with the calm vibe and r&b hook of “Hold me Back.” On “Wish,” like most youth, SmooVth simply yearns for more, yet he keeps it all in perspective, possessing a wisdom beyond his years. With “Natural Elements” SmooVth brings us back with a lighthearted, upbeat joint showing his relaxed, casual side. “Candy man” feat Rozewood is a dope creeper joint. The Arch Druids lace a sinister loop with haunting effects, setting a murderous scene. On “One Of Those Nights” a younger SmooVth contemplates the challenges he faces over an echoing guitar loop and slightly funky groove.

SmooVth: “At the time, I Still lived with my mom and she was on my case heavy. Found myself a little depressed actually, so I sat at the table drunk and wrote that. I was really having one of those nights, Felt like my mom didn’t believe in me, Which wasn’t the case. I was running around with the wrong crowd getting into a shit load of trouble. She just was on me hard. It forced me to make changes. I’ve always been into writing since school days so back in those days I turned my pain into inspiration.. During the little boy blue era, I’m reflecting on the birth of my son, using that for inspiration. My first born, he changed my life. Which is why my mom and even my lady were on me hard, to change my lifestyle; Stop smoking so much, etc.”

DRHH: How did the “So what’s the vibe” collab w/ BxRod happen? We don’t see much of that these days

SmooVth: “Yeah that joint is a dope one. BxRod, she’s a dope songstress from Cali. Producer made in m, he’s a dope producer from out in Spain. He hit me one day and was like yo, BxRod would love to have you on this record. So he linked us together. With tracks like that I wanted to show em that we’re versatile over here. We make music for women too. The women move the culture. If you can get women to like your shit then you’re going somewhere.”

DRHH: “Life” got that raw sound to it..

SmooVth: “Life is an old one too, that’s like 2007.. I got a shitload of old shit but stray away from using some because of the raw quality but that one came out good. In the early early days me and Hus recorded real dungeon like haha. Basement, no pop filter on the mic and the mic hanging over the door lol.”

DRHH: “Box a Chocolates” is obviously a play on the infamous Forrest Gump phrase.

SmooVth: “Box a Chocolates is about going through things in life, you just never know what you’re gonna get. Never know what you’re gonna face. But that’s one thing I always said because it’s true. You can look at a persons shoes and understand them. Whether they pay attention to detail etc. But the metaphor behind it: We all got our own journey. Our shoes can take us anywhere”

On “The Pleasures,” SmooVth pulls out a dope collab featuring Rozewood and Hus. The jazzy instrumental is perfect for the throwback banger. The album ends on the nostalgic and uplifting “Talk to me.”

SmooVth: “Yeah, “Talk to Me,” that’s a mean sample, dope mix, great concept. That’s an early joint. Before I fully knew what I was doing. My bars were still young but had to get that out. Talk to me is our story; Me Hus, and Hus cousin Ghost. Ghost made our beats. And that’s how we came in the game.”

With Young SmooVth 2, SmooVth gives us another time capsule showing his versatility as an emcee with some of his forgotten joints from the vault. SmooVth covers the range of vibes and emotions present at that pivotal in his life, yet the tracks still bang today the same as they did from the days of Young SmooVth.