Smilez & Southstar

Smilez and Southstar is a hip-hop duo based in Orlando, Florida. They had a Top 40 hit with the song "Tell Me" in late 2002. Their music has been played on stations nationwide and their videos have appeared on MTV and BET. The group's first single was "Who Wants This" featuring Kelis. The song had an underground vibe to it and created a buzz—but still didn't crack the top 40. The group's next single, "Tell Me", hit the Top 40 charts. The duo then followed it up with "Now That You're Gone". Smilez talks about the death of his mother and Southstar speaks about the death of his son, Malik, however, it did poorly on the charts, and the group was considered a one-hit wonder. But, the group still followed on with a tour with reggae artist Beenie Man. They also were considered "different" because they didn't talk about using or selling drugs in their music. The group has been quiet because of their switch in labels due to poor success of their album Crash The Party. They were signed to Reincarnate, an indie label, but now have created their own independent record label Groundworks Entertainment. The label features reggae artist Viper and rapper Vill.