Berris Smith
Berris Smith, (born 1978) is a Jamaican-Canadian hip-hop rapper and producer. He is best known for the hit single "Daddy Loves You" Feat. Dawgheart Swagger and Slim from 112.
Early Life & Career
Smith grew up in the English-speaking Norwood section of St. Boniface, in a mostly white neighborhood that nevertheless was highly influenced by the hip-hop of the era. Among his close friends during the mid-1990s was the Winnipeg writer Dallas Hansen.
By 1999 Smith had moved to Winnipeg's West End and surrounded himself with the underground rappers of the city's Jamaican community. He opened a short-lived recording studio on Portage Avenue before moving to Vancouver. A Hastings St. billboard would advertise his first album N.I.G.G.A. an acronym of Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished.
[...] Accusation
On January, 28, 2005, a man was shot and killed at The New Wing Hotel in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. Smith was subsequently arrested for and charged with the [...],after spending 15 months in North Frazer Pretrial Center he was granted bail (400,000.00) but eventually the charges where stayed for lack of evidence.
Radio Success
"Daddy Loves You" features a catchy R&B hook and has risen to number two in Winnipeg on Flava 107.9's Top 10 while seeing rotation on playlists of internet and broadcast radio programs around the world. On "Daddy Loves You" Smith introspectively raps, "Some of these choices that you make in life / Surround us with darkness instead of light / And not every choice that you make is right / Of course wrong decisions could cost your life." The song is thought to be a tribute to his father, who raised him in Norwood.