Audio

<p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">&ldquo;I knew I was put on earth to make music. When I dropped my first CD, my goal was to get everyone in my neighborhood to get on it. When they did, I was alright.&rdquo;</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.5pt; font-family: &amp;quot;Chaparral Pro&amp;quot;; color: black;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Blessed with this clarity of vision, an unforgettable voice, and undeniable songwriting and MC skills, Baltimore&rsquo;s <strong>Smash (A.K.A. T-Mac)</strong> is poised to become one of music&rsquo;s most compelling new artists.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">In late 2008, Smash was on the top of the radio charts at Radio One&rsquo;s 92.3 WERQ FM, with his song <strong><em>&ldquo;A Bit Too Much for Me&rdquo;</em></strong> from album <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Go T-Mac</span></strong> garnering over 600 spins. The song became the most requested song by a Baltimore artist ever on the station.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">&ldquo;A Bit Too Much for Me&rdquo;</span></em></strong></span><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;"> made quite a bit of noise outside Baltimore as well, receiving a more than respectable number of spins in other major markets. DC&rsquo;s WPGC and WKYS and Greenville, NC&rsquo;s WIKS FM stations showed early and consistent support of the single and online, the song boasts more than 650,000 plays on MySpace alone.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><strong><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Smash</span></strong></span><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;"> recently released <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">I Am King</span></strong></span></span><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;"> as his declaration of king. Declaring himself king is a bold statement, but one which he stands firmly behind. &ldquo;My consistency&mdash;that&rsquo;s what makes me a king&mdash;making good music constantly.&rdquo;</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Performances with such artists as Lil&rsquo; Wayne, Slim Thug, Bun B, Three 6 Mafia, Mike Jones, and Bobby Valentino have given <strong>Smash</strong> broader recognition and popularity, as well as sharpened his stage skills. <strong>Smash</strong> was also a part of a 2009 high school tour with Atlantic Recording artist Young Steff, performing to enthusiastic teenage crowds.<span>&nbsp; </span>Rhyming since middle school, Smash knew early on that a career in music was the life for him. He spent two and a half years in New York focusing on his craft, when he decided to return to his hometown. &ldquo;When I was in NY, I wasn&rsquo;t really in the best situation,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;I had no friends, no females&hellip; People were just looking at me like I&rsquo;m a dollar sign. That was keeping motivation for me but, when they didn&rsquo;t see things happening quickly enough, it was back to square one.&rdquo;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">After his return to Baltimore, the inspiration of the city&rsquo;s dark sound dominated his music. Back in Baltimore, <strong>Smash</strong> was embraced by a many people who started a movement called ABM (All &lsquo;Bout Music), which lead to greater popularity in the city. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Though never directly involved in the lifestyle of drugs,<strong> Smash&rsquo;s</strong> relationship with, now-incarcerated, drug kingpin Goose, broadened his songwriting horizons. . &ldquo;[Before I met Goose] I couldn&rsquo;t talk about money, clothes, and slick cars because I didn&rsquo;t know it. I didn&rsquo;t want to sit there and lie about it and look stupid. It&rsquo;s like someone rhyming about drugs who doesn&rsquo;t know anything about that.&rdquo; </span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 10pt;" class="Pa0"><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Prior to seeing more than the mostly stark realities he had growing up, <strong>Smash</strong> says his music was very dark. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re seeing bad things--nothing but negative--it&rsquo;s damn near possible to make positive music. Once I found who I was, when I found that I could make my heart rhyme,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I knew whatever was in my heart, I could make a song about it that people could relate to.&rdquo; </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="A0"><strong><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Smash</span></strong></span><span class="A0"><span style="font-size: 14.5pt;"> sees clearly that where he stands in the game. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had any doubt that I am not just going to make it, but <em>I&rsquo;m going to be the king of rap</em>.</span></span></p>