From Little Haiti To The Big Time In Rap

Home for Smitty is the cracked concrete of Little Haiti. The 25-year-old rapper, born Varick Smith, tells The Miami Herald he has two younger sisters and two brothers, raised by a mother who works in billing at Broward General Medical Center, and a father who he says has been in and out of jail. “I call it the beautiful struggle,” he said. “Even though we didn’t have the best family environment, we were loved people. Being on welfare with a parent on drugs, growing up in Little Haiti taught me independence. It gave me the edge to brush my shoulders off.” Now that he’s been in the charts with ‘Diamonds On My Neck’ and has a deal with J Records, the rapper has big goals. “I want to do for Little Haiti what Biggie did for Brooklyn and Outkast did for Atlanta,” Smitty said. “I may or may not be the voice of Miami but I’m one of the voices. And I’m pretty loud right now.”