URB: You don’t always need a co-sign. What’s coming up after The Vintage Experience?
WORDSMITH: I’m always working. I started on my next mixtape because I gain a lot of success from mixtapes. The one that dropped on September 23rd, called The Vintage Vault, wasn’t really new material to me, because it has tracks from 2003, but it has done over one million downloads already. I’m hoping that will translate into album sales on March 30th. Besides that, I started on my next album which is called Music for the Masses, dropping in 2011, and you’re getting the title first. I’m working on that now, and it’s music for the world. I’m not focusing on trying to just do music, but good music. I think that’s what I admired about the Black Eyed Peas, they focused on making good music. If you listen to their old stuff, will.i.am was nice on the mic. They did straight hip-hop, added Fergie, and now they’re universal stars. I’ve seen universal culture, different languages, and different styles from growing up around the world, and I want to cater to the world, not just my area. My new mixtape will probably be dropping this summer. I’m trying to expand my business and reach the masses.

URB: You mentioned that you’re well-traveled. What, if any, are your cultural influences?
WORDSMITH: When I was younger and my father was moving up ranks in the army, we were in an endless cycle of moving every year to three years. I had to keep making new friends. My social circles varied. I wasn’t only friends with black or white kids, but my friends were Asian, Hispanic, Persian, Arabic and from all different cultural backgrounds. When I started making my music, I got more inspiration from thinking about the different places I’ve lived and how each state has a different style and aura about it. From the way people talk to the landscape and the foods, I notice minor details. I’m detail-oriented and that comes from my childhood. I’ve been in Baltimore now for ten years, which is the longest time I’ve ever been anywhere. So when I’m writing I think about how I can incorporate experiences of maybe living in a place like Kansas—where hip hop isn’t really big—into my music. I’m not afraid to do research, either. I dropped a track called “International Odyssey” and in my first verse I talked about the UK, in the second verse it was Germany, and third I discussed Canada. Though I knew things about each place, I researched them to be sure I was saying things correctly, like a map pinpointing locations and landmarks. That track did a lot, and showed people my attention to detail as an artist and ability to tell a story. I do research, so no one can say “hey, man, I’m from there, and that’s not right.” It makes me feel like a universal artist.

URB: What do you want your fans to know?
WORDSMITH: That I feel blessed, because fans make the artists who they are. I cherish every fan, because you can hit me up on Twitter or Facebook and I’ll hit you back. Fans will say, “Word, you’re so personable. We talk like we’ve chilled before!” I say to myself, we make music for the fans. If the fans aren’t there, there is no one to sell music to. You’re doing music for yourself, your friends, and your family. In an era with so much technology, there are so many ways to get to a celebrity and tell them you love their work. What’s wrong with responding to someone who says “I idolize what you do”? I don’t understand that. I’m running around losing my mind and still try to get back to everyone on time. As a person, businessman and artist, I want to continue to stay down-to-earth, so people can know they can contact me. When they do, it lets me know I’m going down the right path.

Before I go, I have to shout out everyone down for the cause on our label NU Revolution Entertainment: Kontact, Black Knight, Professa, Capish, Strada, Street Level, DJ Andrew, Trey P., Nick Dyer, DJ Nominal, DJ Ykcor, Money Mike, Michael Stein, Diallo and Marcus Reed. On a personal note, I send love to my kids, Ezequiel and Ladavius, my parents, and my genuine and close friends and family. God Bless.

Download music from Wordsmith here.

Follow Wordsmith on Twitter @Wordsmithmusic

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