Young Smokesta

Young Smokesta
Biography

Straight out of the A.U.G (Augusta GA.) Home of James Brown.
Travis Johnson known as YoungSmokesta, was born December 26, 1985 in Stuttgart Germany while his father was in the military. He moved back to the United States with his mom and dad soon after his birth to stay with his grandmother in the AME formely known as Americus GA. A small country town not to far away from Albany GA. He was raised there during his childhood years, until his father returned from Korea for his mom, brother, sister, and him self to move to Augusta GA. In December of 1995. After two years had passed he began to search for things to do to stay out of trouble. In the month of late Dec, 1997 is when his love for rap came about. His cousin (Quintin Jarvis Tyner), began to rap out loud on his back porch. So at the tender age of 12 Travis saw that this could be something that he could very much be interested in, but he also thought that rapping could be very complicated to do.

So as the years progressed Travis continued to practice and improve himself in rapping. (Just like all beginners we all have to immitate someone before we actually find our own style and way of doing things). Travis immitated many artist before he found his own style. He often immitated artists such as Master.P, Juvenile, The Real D.S.G.B. (from Augusta), and 2Pac. As he continued to rap with friends in school yards of his middle school he began to find himeself coming up with his own style of rapping. A style that can be copied but can’t be done as good as he does it.
The year 2000 came along, thats when Travis was promoted from Middle to High school and that’s when Travis really discovered his style of rapping, and knew for a fact that music was something that he really wanted to do. He started writing verses, and songs, but never rapped them to anyone. Until these 2 twins (formely known as P.S. and TeK.9) stumbled upon him rapping with some friends in school and wanted him to join their group Point ? Blank. That’s when he began to experience things that he would learn from before he entered into the music industry. Things were good for the group for a while, and soon after two years had passed, the relationships in the group began to crumble. The group Point Blank and Young Smoketsa went into a fued for 6 months until finally Travis was like (HEY there is too much money that can be made out here by us, if we would only stop being against each other).

When they regrouped it was none stop writing and recording, but as solo artists, PointBlank as Point Blank and Travis as Young Smokesta. They often performed at different parties and clubs. Young Smokesta and Point Blank even got the chance to perform at Travis school for the year book ceremony May of 2004, the year of Travis (Young Smokesta) Graduation. From that day forward Travis has been in the studio dropping tracks, improving on his producing skills and working his way into the music industry. So that he can bring out his own crew of G’s. M.U.S.M. “MisUnderStood Minds”, and many more from Augusta. G.A.

The Name ‘Young Smokesta’ comes from a friend that once said that Travis style and lyrics have the ability to make you choke like an inhalence of too much smoke. Young Smokesta also has altar egoes that he uses in his lyrics (I guess that’s why he would be such a uniqe asset to the music industry) the names he uses are Cuntry Boi- because he is a young african american that grew up in the country, and also because of his country ways and his country up bringing. His third name, Mr. Unpredictable- because he is one that can never be predicted, when you think he’s gonna do one thing he does another. He is someone that has this look about him that makes you just wonder (What will he do next ?). That’s were his quote “Don’t Label Me How You See Me, But How You Know Me!” Came about.
Smokesta doesn’t have the lyrics of the typical rapper. He has his own style due to his upbringing. A majority of our young youth today are coming up in single parent environments where as Smoke was fortunate enough to have the strong male influences of his father. That “is what makes him so different, unique and very valuable. Young Smokesta is an example of someone who can step in the game with a clean background, and still bring marketable hits to the table. (Travis States: Can’t no new artist do it like me). Travis speaks of his life in his music, but puts forth an effort to make his lyrics positive and funny. A high school graduate, and active in his church, he is currently enrolling in a local college, but at the same time pursuing his dream to make music. His influences musically he says are Michael Jackson, James Brown, Ray Charles, Master.P, T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Lil-Jon, Usher, Ludacris, Nelly, Jagged Edge, and Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs. Smoke is also following in the footsteps of P.Diddy in designing his own line of fashion called “Smokesta Wear