Mali Smith, A Rapper From Brooklyn in New York

Artist Spotlight: Mali Smith

Rapping is addictive. Becoming a hip-hop artist is not something that is done for clout, popularity, or anything outside of yourself. Rapping is something you do because there is simply nothing else. This was the case for Mali smith, an artist for whom music is the be-all-end-all. His work ethic and talent at rhymemaking is inspiring, so we are going to take a look at who this man is and what brought him to this point.

Mali was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. Born to a caring family. Listening to music since a very young age, Mali Smith remembers one of his first favorite songs to be the collaboration between Sean Paul and Sasha “I’m Still in Love”. It’s easy to see why, the off-beat rhythm flowing easily while the two artists trade R&B singing and reggae inspired verses. This track connected with Mali early on, kickstarting his love for music. Other artists that were in frequent rotation during those days were Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye, Drake, Biggie, Tsu Surf, and Nicki Minaj.

Big Wocky

Inspired by these amazing talents, Mali Smith caught the bug and decided to begin making music for himself. In the 9th grade, he and his friends got together and made a pact: that they were going to take music seriously and would not stop until they made it. The first big success in this venture came when Mali was just 15 years old, throwing a show in Maplewood that sold out in less than a week. With amazing dedication, the reason he is still doing music today is because “it’s either this or nothing”.

His commitment to hip-hop can easily be seen by looking through his discography. Mali Smith’s SoundCloud has tracks that go back as far as seven years ago. These early songs like “Own it” and “2 Cups” already show a strong command over the melodic rap style, while on others like “Gang” he is baring up with ease. Growing into his style over the years, he now has complete command over his craft. “GMT” is a great place to look for just how hard this artist can flex now, with endless creative flows over an incredibly hard beat. His pocket is as deep as it is versatile, which can also be seen on “Verona”. On this track Mali is almost singing throughout the course of the tune. This artist cannot be confined to just one style.

Tap in with Mali Smith on Instagram, where you can see that the promise he made in grade nine is still going strong. Fresh off the release of his latest EP “Wocktober 3”, Mali is still hungry for the success that is no doubt coming his way. Take a look at the work that this artist has put it and it’ll be easy to come away inspired.