The Lost & Found interview series is where we rediscover the ill cats that were holding it down (and continue to) but for whatever reason are now out of the spotlight. It’s much more than a ‘where are they now’ as we not only discuss their time on top but also the lessons they’ve learned that can be imparted to up and coming hip hop artists and fans.

We also have a section called Snapshot where we post pics of fans finding one of these “lost” artists. If you have some pics of you and say Redhead Kingpin or you’re walking down the street and catch a snapshot of K-Solo chillin send it into us at lostpics@halftimeonline.com.

In our first installment we get up with Brooklyn native Smoothe Da Hustler. Smoothe broke out the gate in 1996 with the classic ‘Broken Language’ which featured himself and his brother Trigger Tha Gambler going back and forth with a new type of flow (Click here for the video). After a successful debut, Smoothe slid into the background for various reasons including label difficulties, family, and a changing hip hop landscape. However, he has stayed grinding putting out a group effort with his brother and Ice-T and working towards building up an independent label. He stays true to his name as he has also taken on the title of ghostwriter, r & b song writer, and actor. Don’t call it a comeback.

HalftimeOnline.com: What’s poppin’ Smoothe?

Smoothe a Hustler: Chillin man just grinding. I’m finishing up this new album and this VH-1 thing we’re doing. It’s this joint called “Rap School” where we are showing these prep school kids how to rap, lay their joints in the studio and then have them open up for Public Enemy at B.B. Kings. We finished that one already but we’re negotiating right now on some behind the music of Smoothe Da Hustler. So you know.

Halftime: Well before we get too deep into what you’re dealing with now we had a few questions we wanted to ask first. The first is about the classic track ‘Broken Language.’ How did you come up with that style and what made you feel that was the best flow for the track?

S: That was a freestyle flow me and Trigg used to do in the hallways just bullshitting. My man Khryst used to beat on the wall while we were in the hallway shooting dice or whatever and we’d be rapping off the head just bugging out. That was more like braggadocios type shit to see if we could outdo each other. When we got the track from D/R Period it was unorthodox so we figured we’d just do that shit, change the flavor up and run with it and it came out hot.

Halftime: That joint really did come out hot from just some bullshitting around.

S: We got a few more styles that are crazy. I haven’t heard anyone do them yet so we’re testing the waters. We got a few singles that we’re ready to release. We’ve been independent for the last six years putting out a few singles here and there. Me and Trigg did an album called “Smoothe and Trigg: Contraband” and we are gonna leak that out. We’re just going hard body back and forth. So if you love that ‘My Brother, My Ace’ type shit we’re doing that like crazy. It’s some 2006-2007 RUN-DMC type shit.

Halftime: We heard you are really into R&B. Who are some of your favorite soul singers and who influenced you?

S: I grew up on the Whispers, the Commodores, the Ojays, and the Stylistics. You know the real heavy hitters like Stevie and Aretha Franklin. My mother was a music head and she used to sing. My pops was a music head as well but he loved Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. That’s all I heard in my crib. He actually took me and Trigg to see Roxanne Shante and UTFO in Brooklyn back in the day. After that I was turned out. I’m a Sade head, let me just dump that in there real quick. My best shit in the world is a Sade CD. Word up, that’s my girl.

Halftime: I heard that you guys were writing for some r&b artists. So my first question is what makes cats be like yea I’m gonna call the dude who had a song called ‘All Glocks on Cock’ to put together my new smash r&b hit?

S: Let me say this, Smoothe da Hustler is a cat that came up in the ghetto where the opposition is wolves and niggas that don’t give a fuck so I have to be an animal in the street so when you get a Smoothe Da Hustler record that’s what that is. But Smoothe Da Hustler is also a family man. I’m real deep with family and that’s all I’ve been fucking with since I first came out. And I listen to r&b. I don’t listen to rap. I tune in every now and then to see who’s hot and what’s popping. But for the most part I’m on my own thing. For the street shit I take it to the rap and that’s what I do but my leisure time is r&b. I’m a cool dude I like to chill. When I came into the game I was 15 or 16 but I just turned 31. I’m a single father and all that. It’s real grown man shit going on. If I ain’t saying gun, nigga, slap you in the face and all that crazy shit it’s r&b. Haha.

Halftime: How did you get into writing for r&b artists though?

S: I’m cool with singers. I was always writing poems and when I write joints I have singers come and sing my hooks. Just on the creative side I know what I like to hear. For a lyricist it’s easy. I can write some real intricate flow rap type shit so doing an r&b record is really nothing. Most r & b records ain’t no more than eight bars and a sixteen bar hook so that’s nothing. I know it’s wild and shocking cuz my record was so hard but that was 95, the game evolved and I evolved. I grew up and I’m still me.

Halftime: What kind of r&b record would Smoothe Da Hustler write right now?

S: I’d write a record about a chick sneaking out to hit her homegirl off. I just wrote this record two days ago. The hook is crazy. Nobody better not steal my shit either, if you do I’m coming for you. The bitch go “I’ve been cheating on you with myself, I feel I’ve been unfaithful, thank you but no thank you cuz I’ve been cheating on with myself.” That’s funky right?! Ahhh ya’ll niggas get up on it Smoothe Da Hustler.

Halftime: Haha

S: That’s real talk. I like Prince. I like fucking with them wild niggas. I listen to all types of music. I listen to rock and heavy metal. I’m a wild dude. But that’s the kind of record Smoothe Da Hustler would make. I’m on some freaky girl shit right now so if any of ya’ll chicks are interested get at me. Ya’ll gotta be hot singers though. I used to write for Foxy Brown and I wrote for Public Enemy. Your boy can go anywhere and I’m ghostwriting. I aint’t even gonna blow it up who I’ve done 2 or 3 joints for already. Your paper don’t even have to be long either you just gotta be a hard fucking worker. There has to be something I like about you.

Halftime: How did you get into ghostwriting anyway? Was that something you were doing when you first got into the game or something you started after you were out of the limelight?

S: Like certain niggas on my team would be around me and I’d be bullshitting freestyling or something and they’d be like man write me a rhyme. First, they don’t want to be rappers but they are around you so damn long that they want to rap. So I was writing for them. With Foxy she was my homey. That’s like my lil sis. Everybody was on the come up trying to find their niche. I was just a person like well you seem like you’re about this. Let me see what you do and I’ll try and fix it up for you. That’s how I got into ghostwriting. Not to fuck up the writer’s aspect of what I do but personally I prefer it come straight from you. I don’t mind writing a hook but you know. I like writing. I can’t sing but I do know notes.

Halftime: Have you ever written something for someone and then be like you know what you’re not even this tight I have to give you something a lil weaker.

S: Haha. What I do is I study the artist. I have to hear joints already and the ones that I hear I kinda fall into that realm. When I’m in a Smoothe the Huslter zone I go all out but for other artists I try and get into their world. I went from Foxy to Public Enemy when I did the “He Got Game” shit. I love them niggas to death. I’m a fan of Public Enemy so it was an honor to do that.

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Posted by Jbutters on Thursday, July 6th, 2006 and is filed under SICKWIDIT, LOST & FOUND, INTERVIEWS.