A Word With Mr. Smith | Amalgam Digital Blog

A Word With Mr. Smith Artist: Wordsmith Interviewer: MATT HARTLEY

A Word With Mr. Smith

Wordsmith Interview with Matt Hartley 06-15-2009

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you and Chubb come to work together?

Wordsmith: I got to know Chubb 2 years ago, when I did a track called block party with a DJ out of Connecticut. The DJ sent it to Chubb after I did the song and I didn’t even know he knew Chubb. I got an email a week later saying “surprise” and Chubb spit where my second verse was at.  Me and Chubb started talking and that was that.

AmalgamDigital.com: You have a very unique background with traveling all around the world as a kid because of your father’s profession in the army to getting a theatre arts degree. How has this affected you musically?

Wordsmith: Musically I didn’t go to certain areas that only hip hop was being played. It cultured me a lot because I had all these forms of different music, I mean I grew up in Germany so that made me very worldly. So after traveling so many places I decided I want to make music for the world. Not specifically for back pack music, commercial music, or underground music, I want to be a universal artist.

AmalgamDigital.com: What is Nu Revolution?

Wordsmith: Nu Revolution camp started 4 years ago, it’s a team of guys that are helping me reach my goals, there’s two other MC’s. One guy is Black Knight who used to work with Amalgam Digital, The other artist Kontact who’s been my best friend for 14 years. I got 4 produces one my brother in Nevada, my engineer in Poland, and I got two other producers from Sweden so you see, due to my background and that I travel a lot my crew really represents that worldwide feeling that I want to have.  The thing about us is a lot of artist grow up and have that same story “I didn’t have this” or “selling this or doing that”. I’ve done all of that, but I choose not to talk about it because I don’t think it will influence our younger generation. Those stories have been heard and rehashed a million times. I want to tell the story of success and people accomplishing their dreams.  One of my dreams is to have a good crew behind me that believe in me and have faith in me.

AmalgamDigital.com: You’ve done a lot of impressive business ventures. From creating music on the video game Mad World to help create vintage clothing, do you have any other venture coming up?

Wordsmith: Absolutely, I understand in this industry you got to put business first and music second, especially If your independent. I’m going to be on a new Puma Game, it’s like Dance Dance Revolution only more hip hop influence. I recently did a deal out of Seattle Washington that services Macys, and McDonalds, and a lot of music you hear on XBOX.

AmalgamDigital.com: What makes Bridging the Gap Album different from others albums?

Wordsmith: (laughing) That’s simple man you can actually listen to this album all the way through. Being into old school I’m about listening to an album all the way through. That’s what we were doing when we were putting (Bridging The Gap) together.  We feel like this is what hip hop would have sounded like if it didn’t veer off the course.

AmalgamDigital.com: I know you played football for Morgan State where you got a scholarship and were recruited, what position did you play?

Wordsmith: I played a lot of positions to be honest. My coach would be like one week you’re playing defensive end, one week you’re playing running back, one week you’re playing safety.  My versatility helped me get a scholarship because I wasn’t that big, not that tall, I was just fast.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you use a similar work ethic off the field that you used for football, such as similar intensity and dedication?

Wordsmith: (chuckling) Wow I’m glad you ask that, nobody ever has. I tell people this all the time, if you never played sports in your life your missing out because there so many things you learn. From competitiveness to teamwork to driving yourself and working hard. I work on hip literally the exact same way I did football, everything from writing and producing to big business I do it real competitive. I get up at 4 in the morning and start working.

AmalgamDigital.com: In the hip hop game right now who are you currently feeling?

Wordsmith: I’d have to say Kanye West, because he doesn’t just understand the game but society and the world.  Reading about Kanye we had a similar background in terms of being worldly and being exposed to many cultures.  It gave us both a different perspective on people and life.

AmalgamDigital.com: How did the old to new video concept come about?

Wordsmith: G Light Films created it, I got to give credit to them (based out on DC). When they told me about a Matrix theme Chubb and I thought it was perfect. They looked at it like Neo and Morpheus, and Neo being the young one and Morpheus being the older more experienced and that is the relationship me and Chubb have.

AmalgamDigital.com: What is one thing that people don’t know about you that you’d like them to know?

Wordsmith: I was born in Germany and have German citizenship, so if they ever went to war I’d be drafted.

Tags: Interviews, Wordsmith

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 1:30 PM and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.