Since my introduction to DMV hip-hop artist SmCity's music via The Indie Life LP and as one of the few local artists that I've actually seen live and shook hands with, he has become one of my favorite artists from this area, but not for the obvious reasons. Yeah, he has a nice flow. True, he's got presence on the mic. Of course he has a good ear for music. However, even these laudable qualities can't trump my overarching point: SmCity is a master at speaking from the perspective of the [grossly unheralded] independent artist and/or entrepreneur by providing the blueprint for continuing one's path toward greatness and success--in spite of the often-frustrating difficulties that anyone worth his or her weight in gold endures. Whether it's through his Indie Life Concert Series with Twenty20 Music & Films that provides local and national artists a live platform to connect with their supporters or by way of his own music, the dude embodies what he raps. He continues that unique ability as well as getting a bit more personal with his latest project, Dream Cemetery. (For the record, Sm has released both a free version, which you can download via DatPiff, and a deluxe version with three extra tracks available via iTunes. This review will be of the free version, but PLEASE support this brother.)
