Little Stranger

Born on 29 May, 1985, Shwayze has achieved enormous success in the music industry, making quite a name for himself.

Shwayze, Aaron Smith at the time, came from a poor background. He lived in a trailer park during adolescence and juggled several jobs. His introduction in to the music industry was unusual to say the least. He was discovered during a Whitestarr performance in a nightclub, when he jumped on to the stage and started freestyle rapping. The unexpected move landed him a deal with Suretone records, as Whitestarr frontman Cisco Adler was so impressed with him. Adler and Smith soon formed the duo Shwayze, meaning ‘not white’ (Smith identified himself in an interview as the only non-white kid in Malibu).

After recording several tracks together, the duo was signed to the label Geffen. Adler helped with the song writing, production and back-up vocals for Smith. The self-titled album, Shwayze, was released as the result of the collaboration and the first single off the album, ‘Buzzin’ became an instant hit. It was released on 19 August 2008 and was the start of Shwayze’s rise to success. His second single, ‘Corona and Lime’ peaked even higher on the Billboard Charts, topping the success of the first single.

Some of Shwayze’s musical influences include A Tribe Called Quest, Crazy Town and Atmosphere. Smith himself admitted that he grew up wishing to be like Snoop Dog. Shwayze’s musical style is unusual in that, despite sounding relatively mellow and pleasant, his lyrics revolve around the stereotypical rap content of women, drugs and heavy partying. Since his start, stint as a duo and decision to keep the name Shwayze as referring solely to himself rather than to both himself and Adler, Shwayze has released an impressive handful of studio albums and has come to be known as the quintessential Southern Californian rapper.