Smitty

Varick D. Smith, better known as Smitty, is an American rapper and hip-hop ghostwriter from Little Haiti, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida.

While growing up in Little Haiti, Varick came home one day to see a friend fatally shot due to involvement in the drug game. The incident made him more aware of his future. In 1997 he decided to enroll at Florida A&M University to major in journalism. However, his aspiration to become a full-fledged artist led him to switch coasts after only two and half years of school. He would eventually, through a friend, get the opportunity to start in the hip-hop industry by flying out to meet with legendary producer Dr. Dre while he was filming The Wash. After many hours waiting around on set, Varick finally got the chance to rap in front of Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre was impressed and Varick was asked to work on a few tracks for "The Wash soundtrack.

In addition to working on the soundtrack, Smitty has also worked on several songs, including two chart hits - "Shake Ya Tailfeather" by P. Diddy, Nelly & Murphy Lee and "Bump, Bump, Bump" by B2K. He has collaborated with fellow hip-hop artists such as Trick Daddy, Scarface, and Kanye West.

Opportunities to sign with Aftermath Records, Arista Records, Capitol Records, Def Jam, Elektra Records, and Jive Records were all offered, but were turned down in lieu of creative freedom.

In July of 2005, Smitty released his debut single effort "Im So Lonely," which charted at Billboard charts; a music video was directed by Hype Williams. His second single, "Died in Your Arms," failed to chart. A debut album, "Life of a Troubled Child," was scheduled for release in late 2005 but was shelved. He released two mixtapes: "The Voice of the Ghetto" and "Heart of the South."