The state of Michigan has given birth to, or raised, many notable household names ranging from filmmakers, to actors, to personalities in both TV and radio. And Michigan is no stranger to music, having produced some of America's finest artists with names such as Aaliyah (raised in Detroit), Kid Rock (born in Romeo), Alice Cooper (born in Detroit), Madonna (born in Bay City), and Eminem (raised in Warren). There is something to be said about a city suffering from such evident urban decay having the ability to foster such potential and bona fide celebrity. A quote lends itself to the perfect explanation: "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Rapper B-Smoove, who currently resides in the city of Sacramento, California, has humble beginnings in Michigan. After moving to California in 1988, he took a job barbering to financially support his musical aspirations. His clients included NBA players and many popular T.V personalities. He stayed motivated and inspired, keeping his focus on overcoming the many obstacles that present themselves in today’s music industry. He currently owns the independent record label 3 Pounds Entertainment. I was able to catch up with B-Smoove to do a little Q&A as follows:

Who has been involved in helping you reach your career goals, and how have they helped you to get there?
B-Smoove: Definitely my parents have been a strong foundation for me, helping to give me focus and channeling my energy and creativity into something good, such as writing—something that I love to do! Outside of that, I had Brian Grant (former L.A Laker), who helped me to get my first album released. Obviously my management, Tiffany Smith, who has been helping me put a lot of things in position and who understands my vision and what I am trying to accomplish with this music career. And also my publicist, Chris Bridges, who is putting B-Smoove out there the way I should be!

What types of hardship and challenges did you have to face on your way to where you are today?
B-Smoove: I'm from Flint, Michigan for one! And you know, growing up out there, living in poverty, trying to find a way to put my mother in a better situation as far as living…basically it was just me and her, even though my father was around. He moved out to California. I’d see my mom struggle just to put the right kind of clothes on my back and nice shoes on my feet, just going the extra mile to do what she could for me, her son. She made sure I had the best. My watching her struggle is a big reason why I strive to be the best I can with this music. It's been a struggle just dealing with life in general, trying to make something out of yourself. That in and of itself has been hard! Then I made the transition to California and tried to adapt to this way of life. Like I said before, I grew up in Flint, so it was a little different trying to be accepted in the music business on the West Coast!

From where do you draw your inspiration?
B-Smoove: Mostly from not having much! Having to rely on family, like your cousins…turning nothing into something and still being able to deal with it and live with things till things got better. Like I said before, seeing my mom struggle—and I've lost some close homies in the streets and things like that—it kind of kept me focused, knowing that that could have been me! I was fortunate enough to not be in that situation. I thank God for that to this day! I've been to jail before, and that situation could have been worse, so my inspiration is really internal. As far as my own drive, I was blessed with it!

Who would you say is the most influential rapper or producer to you? Someone you sometimes grab inspiration from, whether it be stylistic or musical, who helps you to express yourself? Who does B-Smoove look up to?
B-Smoove: Well, growing up, I was really inspired by my older cousin Poochie. He was out in the street hustling, and I almost kinda wanted to be like him to a degree. But musically I was inspired by the true pioneers, like Run DMC, LL, Big Daddy Kane. But as I got older, Tupac became the most influential, with him and Nas definitely my most inspirational artists on that level. I got a chance to meet Nas and open up for him, so all that stuff has become a reality for me now; that really put me on a level of understanding that everything that I set myself out to do, I'm doing.

Would you say that was a highlight of your career? What moments stand out?
B-Smoove: I have accomplished a lot of things, winning local awards and things like that, and I definitely appreciate it, but [opening up for Nas] definitely was a highlight moment of my career, helping to put this whole rap game in perspective.

Who would you like to work with in the future?
B-Smoove: Number one on the list is Dr. Dre. I would love to work with him. I would love to rock out with Timbaland. I like Manny Fresh too, and the Neptunes—I would definitely love to get with them on some stuff, not to mention Drummer Boy and DJ Tombs, whom I met at a convention. We were chopping it up about making some things happen, so I got to definitely give a big up to him!

B-Smoove's most recent release is "Deposit," featuring Too Short, Kurupt, Raekwon, Mack 10, Dezit Eaze, Gotti, Yung Hogg, B-Legit, The Capitolist and Jason Edmonds.