Anyone know what became of Smoothe Da Hustler?

yeah man bumping once upon a time in america on helgo's recommendation and really feeling this. what else should i seek out?

his flow and control of his voice is fucking incredible, the way he weaves in and out of that gruff voice at the beginning of "only human" is what rap's all about

??? if you don't know me
slowly you begin to hold me accountable for criminal acts when i hustle
brothers be on that cop-snitchin stuff ???
i'm strictly on that glock-spittin stuff
??? new jacks
talkin bout bustin caps in they new raps
was perhaps convinced by smoothe
i dismiss crews like misdemeanors(?)
i mix the illmatic with baking soda
been ringing bells ever since regina
the struggle to keep the family from wanting
the fast money
to keep me and my peoples flaunting
sign the deal that if the jail close(?)
me not sellin only if hell froze
so tell melrose
that rap is my place, i sell those
my everyday routine counting green
rockwaway be the scene, rutgers be the team
from public school got the feedback
i stay it cool like g rap
running fools no tools
snatch a ???

You want more stuff LIKE this, or more from him?

He's heavily featured on Trigger The Gambler's 'Lifes a 50/50 Gamble' as they are brothers. I would get that, have to DL it tho since it was never released.

i'm just gonna attempt to finish transcribing "only human", because it's perfect and it's not anywhere else on the internet

2nd verse:

my little hustle turned into big ones
little money turned into big funds
boxcutters turned into big guns
my avenue stay cluttered with players that hustle
from '82, to '88 plus my lady crew(?)
? kid, used to dress sloppy kid
cop em(?) poppin in east new york
now they clock me(?) kid
versace kid, copied the gear when they watch me kid
look where we are, now i'm in it to win it like rocky kid
put stress aside, cuz money may be violent
mom sayin i'm blessed with a talent
and i should thank god but i dont want my mother thinking im a punk
so when she go to sleep i get out my bed and pray silent
my mother raised me good so i copy her
me and my click is so tight we kiss cheeks just like the mafia
i'm over top a' ya
and in the industry when they mention me
i mention ruckus cuz i'm real

[hook]

once in a while i threw the mac up
for those that act up i backed up
cuz '96 i'm running ???
and for jealous fellas there's no help for em
the only reason i made madison square for steppin through my garden cuz i felt for him
the reason's how i give it:
even if my everyday lifestyle aint nothin but a hustle i'ma live it
i drop jewels and stop crews from steppin up
you got beef then throw your weapon up
i even squeeze at your melon
no time for yellin
for sellin i became a second-time felon
the street life i was accustomed to made me see my mistakes
no more bells, no more jails
it takes a lot to admit your wrongdoing
representin that's what i'm on doing
speaking the truth is what my song's doing
the ill reason, the real reason,
the ready-aim-cock your steel reason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IhBqas5dZE

glad u are liking it! super nyc classic in my book.

hey is there a song where he rhymes his lines forwards and backwards? i swear i remember him doing that, but i can't find my CD of it and i searched on the internet and couldn't find evidence...

one of the first forward/backward lines was

"it's the hustler, loan shark from saratoga ave, ave saragota shark loan hustler the the it's - i'm rushin' ya cliques etc etc"

also the last time i saw him on something was some collabos with Ice-T in the early 00s, but not sure if they are still down or how that even happened

yeah i saw you posted about that a while ago, i couldnt find that particular line but there's a LOT of really amazing wordplay on "my brother, my ace" at the end of that album, including some forward-backward stuff like this, my favorite bit (excuse the slurs lol):

trigga the gambler i'm my brother's keeper that's why it ain't no double cross
fake frontin faggots, soft like fabric, i got gadgets, my craft go static
pussy niggas get dramatic
dramatic get niggas pussy static, cause craft my gadgets
got a fabric like soft faggots frontin fake, if ya backwards

first part is trig and italicized is smoothe

but that song up there, "only human", for me really brings out what makes smoothe such an incredible and well-rounded and thoughtful MC - the first verse is like him looking back on the old days, explaining why he had to do what he did, but then there's this turn where he really examines himself in a personally meaningful way - there's a thoughtfulness and empathy present especially in those last two verses that's rare not only in rap but like, in people in general. like the lines about praying after his mom goes to bed and the one about "madison" are really touching

on top of that he's just an excellent rapper in a technical sense, honestly one of the best personal discoveries i've made in a long time - his control of the tone of his voice and his breath, how he adapts his flow for different types of songs, his really intricate and polysyllabic and protracted rhymes, his impressively broad yet not corny vocabulary

yeah the more i think about it it's probably some freestyle from like an old tony touch or ron G mixtape or something like that i used to buy a lot of cassettes from this hip hop store and just keep one in the tape deck for like a month

also kevin otm xpost

like i thought that madison square garden line was corny at first but then i put it in context with the rest of that verse and it totally worked, super heavy line, plus he delivers it great

sometimes i think "only human" is my favorite rap song of all time

I'm only huuuuumaaaaaaaaaan is great for sure.

You ever hear the album Nine Livez by Nine k3vin?

nope *searches*

inna similar vein?

Hmm, well yeah kind of. Both have tons of grit and nastiness in their voices. Smoothe is a better rapper, but Nine had better pop sensibilities.

Beats are pretty similar too, mid 90s for both.

Fo'eva Blunted
http://youtu.be/qh9wndCiROo

Whuthca Want - 90s Jeep videos>>>>>
http://youtu.be/Q4LZpV-Ccy8

Any Emcee
http://youtu.be/JrxZGwB5wB0

Oh, and they did a song together (not on Nine Livez)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYVcaQ1Bzu8

That beat makes me wet.

hey i'm fucking with Nine man, good looks

dude's voice is like nothing i've ever heard

dude sounds like he had a tracheotomy

Nice, yeah since I posted that stuff I got his 2nd album (been meaning to) and its great as well. Has that Make or Take joint on it.

His voice, lol yeah tracheotomy is about right.

man smoothe did more with the genre of rap in one album than 95% of these other cats did in a lifetime