Bios, I swear are like a bug up my ass. I want my readers and potential readers to get a true sense of who I am without sounding too stuffy and corporate but at the same time I don’t want to seem narcissistic even though I’m absolutely tooting my own horn. Because, who wants to read about the non-accomplishments of a loser, right?
I hate writing Bios because it always seems so weird to read about myself in the third person when I’m the source of the information. And I don’t think a hired publicist can really capture my essence even though I’ve had some great publiscists write some pretty damn good bios.
Since this is my website and my cyber-world, there’s no real sense in being formal is there? I mean, I want you to kick off your shoes and chill a bit while you’re here. Get comfortable while I share a lil’ something something about who I am and what I do.
I’m Meta Smith and I’m the author of six published novels as well as a lecturer and public speaker, DJ, musician and visual artist. I’m also the self-appointed, Entertainment Ambassador to the city of Chicago, an imaginary yet accurate title that I deserve because let’s keep it real, if you come to Chicago you really want to hang out with me.
I look about 28 years old, so that’s how old I’m going to tell you I am. I mean, it’s not really your business precisely when my parents had the sex to create me, so I’ll say I’m old enough to know how to do a lot of things and young enough to still do them well. I was born in Philly and lived in Mount Airy for a hot minute before my parents relocated to Chicago while I was still in diapers.
As you can probably tell by now, I’ve got a smart mouth and a sassy attitude. I owe that partially to my parents and partially to the Chi. I grew up on the South Side in Hyde Park, South Shore and the Wild Wild Hundreds, and went I to Kenwood Academy for 7-12th grades where I was a Pom-Pom girl and in the Fashion Club. I was also a Guidance Office Aide so I could finesse ways to get out of the trouble I often found myself in for cutting class, and starting in the 7th grade I held after school jobs at the ACLU, Mr G’s Finer Foods, Taco Bell, Giordano’s and the Disney Store because I’ve always had a hustler’s nature.
After graduation I went to Clark Atlanta University for a year and transferred to Spelman College, where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree. I majored in English and minored in kicking it, and it’s in the ATL where I first became involved in modeling, acting and dancing, and got a taste of the celebrity-filled, fast-paced, jet-setting lifestyle. I was in a few music videos as a dancer for TLC and other LaFace Records artists and stayed in Atlanta for 2 years after finishing undergrad trying to make a name for myself behind the scenes in the music industry. Then one fateful morning, armed with $165 and my clothes loaded into a turquoise Geo Metro I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to move to Miami. I knew a few strippers and a skycap at the airport in Miami and that was it. I didn’t have a job lined up or a place to stay. I just bounced. I hit the road and didn’t look back. It was the best decision I ever made in my entire life even if in retrospect it was a batshit crazy thing to do.
Miami opened up a whole new world for me, and although I made a few questionable decisions, I must say that I wouldn’t be living my dreams if I hadn’t taken that leap of faith. I started to appear in print mags like Jet and in music videos for rappers such as Tupac, Jadakiss, and Timbaland. I also started promoting parties on South Beach. I worked as a bartender, a waitress, a phone sex operator, a Language Arts teacher, a promotions Assistant for the Box Music Video Network and UPN and a couple of other gigs I won’t really talk about. Let’s just say that I always had a lot of ones in my purse.
And of course it wouldn’t be Miami if kicking it hadn’t taken on a whole new dimension. I rubbed elbows with everyone from students to politicians, from preachers to pimps, from socialites to dope-dealers and athletes of every sport. I met people from every country you can imagine. And of course the parties I went to and the things that went down were legendary. I lived in Miami for 6 years before I made another kneejerk decision after having my son. I moved back to Chicago.
Not the best move professionally, but being a new mom and having issues with the ex, I wanted to live near my family. So while relocating isn’t my favorite decision, what I did after that is. I decided to write about it all. The places I had been, the people I met, the things I saw, the stuff I heard about and a few of the things that I did myself. I let my imagination go wild and completed my first manuscript, The Rolexxx Club while working as a non-profit fundraiser and consultant and raising over $14 million for Chicago area charities.
Warner Books’ (Grand Central) published it as their first “street lit” title, a distinction I’m very proud of, and since then I quit my day job and I’ve written 5 additional sexy, psychological thrillers including a collaboration with New York Times Bestselling Author and Platinum-selling recording artist 50 Cent.
I also run my own publishing company, Risque Publishing, and from time to time I can also be found working as a “turntable goddess”. I’m one of Chicago’s hottest DJs and even though writing and being a mom keeps me pretty busy, I’ve found the time to make thousands of people dance uncontrollably at functions hosted by Lebron James, the Chicago Bulls and Common.
I guess that about sums it up. I think I’ve taken up enough of your time and I’m appreciative that you’ve gotten this far. Thank you. If you want to know something more, just ask. It’s cool. I’m not a snob in the slightest. Or if you want to hire me to speak at or DJ a function get at me. Either way you can drop me a line at Meta@Metasmith.com and I’ll try and answer you directly or in a video blog as soon as possible. And feel free to follow me on Twitter, friend me on MySpace and join my Facebook Page. Don’t get mad if I don’t answer right away, I am pretty busy, but if it takes me a while to reply you can send me a gentle reminder that you needed some info.
