Growning up in the projects, dealing with the whole thing of seeing domestic violence and my father do drugs had me and my four brothers suffering everyday. Only thing you could do is stay busy so you wouldnt have to deal with it, or just go to church on Sundays. I remember my mom crying all the time because she use to get beat. Then, my dad come back a couple hours later and tell her he sorry and she take him back. Through all the fights she never left him.  I just recently ask her why did she leave and she said he loved to get high more than love her.  So, as i got older i been thru foster care and jumping from town to town.  Experienced getting kicked out of school for things kids shouldnt be doing.  Skipping school just to see who will be on the block making money in the morning. Seen drugs everyday. My mother sold drugs and went to prison for it. Same situation with my brothers.  I never wrote them either.

Music was always a thing i enjoyed. My brother rapped and i wanted to prove to him that i could so i wrote a song.  He rapped about hustling and things the average street rapper would rap about. I never hustled, I been around it from the time I was born so it wasnt the thing that I didnt know what it was. So when i was 12 my hustle became cutting hair. As I got older I began to fall off track and found myself selling drugs too. Instead of people trying to change my thought or give me direction, i was being encouraged to sell them.  I thought my mom would tell me that it wasnt the right thing to do, but she didnt say anything.  So, from her not saying anything i went for it. 20 turned into 50 dollars, 50 turned into 100, 100 to 500, 500 to 1000s.  I would find myself making a needs and wants list, and on the top of the needs list was "re-up".  I already had a little girl in the world that I had to take care off.  I hardly had any time for her.  I just wanted hustle hustle hustle.  God sends warnings before exposing you in the open. Mine was my brother was in another town with my mom and they got stopped by the police. The cop thought my brother was me, telling him "your Demarcus, you drive a red car. Your about 18, 19 aren't you!"  They came back and told me so i thought i just have to slow it down.  The second time came when i re-up'd and took it to my house.  I was driving down the street and got stopped by the police. minutes after i dropped it off at home.  Me having so much pride i kept at it.  Me and my wife moved to a place where it was zero tolerance with drugs, and it had me to start doing some soul searching.  I realize God brought me that far harm free, felony free, never going to jail.  It was a blessing just to say that I was still living at 20. 

Me still being selfish person i end up doing something that was life changing, hurting my lady.  She was on the verge of leaving me. I had to ask God to help me with the problem with women.  It took the possibility of losing my family to realize I had a good woman.  So it made me love her even better.  The bible said "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing" so, with me finding my good thing I married her on August 9, 2010.  We have our ups and downs but the most important thing we have in common is we kno God.

I had a encounter that really made me look at my life different.  Though all the things I did I knew wasnt right and everything I thought I got away with, I found myself realizing really that God knows everything, and that life is to short to try to get it right when you want to because you never know when your time will come.  I was going to work, early morning in December.  I was speeding down the street and came up on this bridge.  It was a car coming towards me and my car was drifting there way. So, i turned the wheel to get back on track and my speed caused me to spin out of control jumping the bridge.  The trunk of my car was hanging over the bridge. The car started to feel like it was going to tip over the bridge and from that I struggled with opening the door.  When i realize that it wasnt going to open, my head tilted back, eyes closed asking myself is this the way Im going to die, where am I gonna go.  As a Christian you should know from your heart and soul wehre you going to go.  As soon as I thought that, the front of my car dropped to the ground. I got out the car I had no scratches, no bruises, and I wasnt even wearing a seat belt.  I instantly knew that God kept me and was watching over me.   So that made me realize that I needed to change because I know where I want to go.

I used music to express my feelings and to say whatever i seen or was doing in the world.  I always thought i was good at it.  I often bragged on myself.  I used to get mad at the people that make music for partying. Nothing against the music, I just thought it didnt tell stories or had any meaning.  One day, the Lord was dealing with me on telling his people what was going on in the world and in the church.  It caused me to write a song called "Imma Blessed Man".  And from the moment I recorded the song, I knew God wanted me to give people what he gave me in the form of rap music. I like to call my genre of music "True Music". The reason is because its the truth. Its a cross between novelty and gospel.  Everybody can talk about money, cars, clothes, women, and jewelry but if you dont know whos blessing you whats the point in talking about it. Its a fact that you aint do it yourself.  If I talk about those things, it would be in a way that I still can glorify God while doing so..

Rallee Smiff