A lot of emcees claim to have been there and done that but only a few actually did... Born in harlem and raised in New York City's toughest neighbourhood, The Bronx , Smiley The Ghetto Child is one of them. More than 20 years deep in the game, he used to co write stuff for Black Sheep and Chi Ali . He then naturally hooked up with Group Home because one half of the duo was his cousin Melachi the nutcracker. he helped to orchestrate the whole first album entitled "Livin Proof", entirely produced by the legendary DJ Premier. Smiley's first appearance in the rap game was on the "The Realness",one of the best cuts of Group Home's album.a video was supposed to be shot for it That would have been his first verbal / visual presentation to the world, But along the way he got locked up because his verses and contribution to hip hop wasn't bringing enough money to the table. This intermission in his artist's life had stopped a promising carreer for Smiley. But being from the Ghetto and livin the Ghetto all day everyday, Smiley wasn't ready to leave what was runnin'in his veins:Hip Hop .
In the midst of recording their last album, Smiley's longtime affiliates' Gangstarr asked him to do a track on their 2003 LP: The Ownerz. The response from the fans was crazy and that's when Smiley decided to release his single "The Wake Up Call" produced by none other than DJ Premier. The single also features production by the likes of Showbiz from DITC and newcomer Sebb (G Unit, Infamous Mobb). the single has sold 8000 copies to date, It was Fat Beats best seller in 2004...
Now that he knows people are ready to hear more from him and that they are fiendin for his next project, The Ghetto Child is ready to show the world why he's one of a last dying breed who's bringing realness, emotion and hardcore while a lot of these so called real emcees are inventing themselves a life in order to impress the listeners.Also,Smiley is working on his next and first full length album ,Backed with production from DJ Premier, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock,Alchemist and Buckwild it is just a matter of time before Smiley The Ghetto Child's dedication to the game will pay.
Words by Ammo