Atlanta native "Young Smoove" was raised in a single parent home where he is the middle child of seven. Always one to stand out in a crowd, he began his art of delivering lyrics at the tender age of twelve. From then on Smoove began to sharpen his skills by competing in various local talent shows and events. While competing at a local talent event, Atlanta Live, in early October 2001, Smoove was discovered by Hexcite Entertainment's CEO, Curtis "All World" Grant. At age 16, Smoove dropped his first mixtape " Strictly 4 the Streets" , hosted by a local underground DJ, DJ 21 of 88 Ways Productions. Soon after, he dropped a follow-up mixtape titled " Paid in Full', which gained him respect and street credibility. From there on, Smoove began to beat the streets with track after track of illustrious music.