Young Shorty

Add Tupac, Nas, and stir in Da Brat, and you have the making of "one of the best mc's in da game today" Heet Magazine. That is the story of the Bluegrass Bitch from Louisville, Kentucky. Joann Smith (a.K.a. Young Shorty) was born a multi-talented individual.

Born November 11, 1979 in Louisville, Kentucky Young Shorty learned at an early age that she was special when it came to performing. Like all things that are good there is a natural development that occurs and Y. Shorty development began shortly after her family moved to Owensboro, Ky., after her birth. At the tender age of thirteen Shorty knew that her interest in hip hop was more that casual and she started djing at local house parties playing the hottest hip hop hits. Her popularity began to grow as she started to rap at the parties and winning talent shows around town. That taste of local notoriety convinced her to enter into the Miss Black Expo in August of 1997 and she won hands down showcasing her rapping skills performing original material.

Young Shorty return to her birth place (Louisville, KY.) began in high school where she was a stand out basketball player. Her ball playing skills gained her recognition as athlete of the week, named to the girls Kentucky All-Star team, all city and all regional player. Her basketball exploits gained her a scholarship to Bellarmine University located in Louisville. After returning to Louisville Y. Shorty rapping ability moved her into the enter circles of the best rap groups such as The Get Down Click, Big Riggas, Too Big Click, Unstoppable Records and several other clicks with whom she collaborated with. Word of her ability and style quickly caught the attention of the decision maker at PSM Style Production and her debut album is the result of that union.