We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tyler Smith aka Ty Smitty a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tyler, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I have worked on is the new project I am working on now. I’m going on 2 years being homeless and the songs in which I address the situation are on my new project called Thieves World. It’s a very dark look at the world stemming from my experience being homeless and being abandoned by my family for no reason. There is a lot of mental health problems in my mother’s side of the family and I’ve been exposed to verbal abuse my whole life. I’ve never felt love from my family or at all
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I got into the hip hop industry by myself just inquiring about open mic and concert opportunities. I always wrote lyrics and songs so it was easy for me to go into the studio and create from the heart. My music is for all of those who struggle and feel pain or anger. I’ve been there and I know how you feel. I am most proud of my most recent project P.M.W. which I have collaborations with COMP from Baltimore, and Vast Aire from NYC as well as Akrobatik from Boston.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
To best support artists we need our music to be paid for through streams or purchase to keep putting our money back into our music and keep the ball rolling. If artists aren’t compensated properly then it’s possible the art might disappear if we can’t afford to record in the studio. Come out to local shows as well and buy a ticket, this will help immensely.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Like I said I’ve been homeless for 2 years and still managed to put an album out July 29th on all streaming platforms. I believe that shows I have tons of resilience.
Contact Info:
- Website: Linktr.ee/tysmitty
- Instagram: @tysmitty
- Twitter: @tysmitty410
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCMC3GFpUUEvgZTttw8kCOUw
Image Credits
Photos by DirtRoad Official