Spectacular Smith
Spectacular Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Spectacular Blue Smith September 7, 1986 |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Television | Love & Hip Hop: Miami |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Hip hop, R&B |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels |
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Spectacular Blue Smith (born September 7, 1986), known by his stage name Spectacular, is an American rapper, entertainer, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, television personality, author, and philanthropist. He is the Chairman and CEO of Adwizar Inc.[1] and founder of the record label Mula Music Group.[2]
In 2018, Black Enterprise described Smith as "five most influential celebs that cross-pollinate between music and tech," estimating that his net worth was $65 million.[3]
Career
Smith started performing with his brother in a hip hop group called Pretty Ricky[4] at the age of 11. His father, Joseph "Blue" Smith, of Jamaican descent,[5] was the owner of the indie label[6] and managed the group. Smith contributed musically and also choreographed the group's stage performances. After signing with Atlantic Records, the band went on the Scream IV tour, they promoted songs such as "Grind With Me"[7] and "Your Body".[8][9]
In addition to being a recording artist, Smith is also an entrepreneur. Intrigued by the business possibilities of social media, he experimented with Pretty Ricky's Facebook page, testing out theories behind social networks for a full year until he found a system for gaining and monetizing followers.[10] He then turned those ideas into Adwizar, a company that manages and monetizes social media accounts.[11] The company manages social media pages of artists such as Bow Wow, Kevin Gates, Soulja Boy, Master P, Birdman, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[12][13][14] Smith has also claimed that he is the owner of the social media brand Grumpy Cat, which he claims is valued at 100 million dollars.[15]
On February 14, 2017, Smith released his first book, titled Spectacular Love: How to Make Good Love Last, published by Bluestar Books.[16]
In 2018, several online publications reported that Smith was enrolled at Harvard Business School, after Smith posted a photo of himself wearing a Harvard University hoodie, while sitting in a classroom. However, no further details have been provided about Smith’s specific enrollment, including whether he completed all requirements to obtain a degree.[17]
2020
On December 7, 2020, Smith allegedly fake-sneezed and said "Coronavirus," resulting in an argument between him and a Disney employee. Smith responded physically.[18] According to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Smith accidentally punched the Disney employee while falling.[19][18][20] Smith later responded that "There's 2 sides to every story."[21]
Honors and awards
- 2019 - Innovator Of the Year by Black Enterprise[22]
- 2018 - Top 5 Most Influential Entrepreneurs in Tech and Music by Black Enterprise[23]
- 2018 - The 10 Most Inspiring Business Leaders by Mirror Review[24]
- 2017 - Greatest and Most Inspiring Entrepreneur by Inc. Magazine[25]
- 2017 - Top 10 Marketing Gurus to Watch in 2018 by Huffington Post[26]
- 2019 - 14 Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders from Black Twitter by Black Enterprise[27]
- 2019 - Best Privately Owned Company in America by Entrepreneur Magazine[28]
Discography
Singles
- 2005: "Grind with Me"
- 2005: "Your Body"
- 2006: "Nothing but a Number"
- 2006: "On the Hotline"
- 2007: "Love Like Honey"
- 2008: "Knockin Boots 08"
- 2008: "Cuddle Up" (featuring Butta Creame)
- 2009: "Tipsy (In Dis Club)"
- 2009: "Say a Command"
- 2010: "Personal Freak"
- 2010: "Cookie Cutter"
- 2011: "Topless"
- 2015: "Puddles"
Filmography
Television
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External links
- Adwizar - Smith's company
- Grumpy Cat Twitter Page
References
- ^ "Pretty Ricky singer goes from broke to making millions by tweeting". Rolling Out. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "EIN 47-3359648 - Mula Music Group Inc, Fort Lauderdale, Florida". eintaxid.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "Black History Month: The top 5 Most Influential Entrepreneurs at the Intersection of Music and Tech". Black Enterprise. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Here's How Spectacular Smith Went From Pretty Ricky to Dead Broke to Raking in Millions on Social Media". VH1. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Boys to Men - Pretty Ricky". Vibe Magazine. Google Books: Vibe Media Group. 1 October 2008. p. 108. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
Born to a Jamaican mother, Smith's father died...
- ^ Carter, Brooke (12 March 2017). "What Happened to Pretty Ricky 2017 - What They're Doing Now". Gazette Review.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky Reunited for Final Album and Tour". The Boombox. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots". Billboard.
- ^ "Don't Miss These 4 Shows - By jschiewe - May 18, 2017 - SF Weekly". SF Weekly. 18 May 2017.
- ^ "R&B To ROI: Meet The Man Helping Celebrities Go Viral". Inc.
- ^ "Interview: Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Smith Makes Money Moves with Adwizar". Black Enterprise. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Shares His Bedroom Tips, and Talks About His New Album 'Sex God'". The Boombox.
- ^ Setaro, Shawn. "Spectacular Smith Uses Social Media To Make Big Bucks With Adwizar". Forbes.com.
- ^ "He Used to Sing in a Boy Band. Now He's Making Millions by Tweeting (a Lot)". Inc.com. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ Abraham, Maya. "Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Was Behind This $100 Million Deal, And Fans Are Floored". BET.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Shares His Bedroom Tips, and Talks About His New Album 'Sex God'". The Boom Box.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Smith is Enrolled at Harvard Business School". The Grio.
- ^ a b "Spectacular Blue Smith Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting Disney World Worker After Joking About COVID-19". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ Rice, Katie. "Hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Spectacular Smith arrested for hitting Disney worker: report". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ "Spectacular Blue Smith Busted in COVID dispute for Allegedly Assaulting Disney World Staff". TMZ. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
- ^ "Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Smith arrested at Disney World after alleged altercation with worker". USA Today. Dec 2, 2020.
- ^ "Innovator Of The Year". vibe.com. 8 January 2019.
- ^ "Black History Month: The 5 Most Influential Entrepreneurs at the Intersection of Music and Tech". Black Enterprise. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "The 10 Most Inspiring Business Leaders". mirrorreview.com. 16 November 2018.
- ^ "Greatest and Most Inspiring Entrepreneur". reader.magzter.com.
- ^ "10 Marketing Gurus To Watch In 2018". Huffingtonpost.com. 16 November 2017.
- ^ Hill, Selena (2020-06-08). "14 Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders From Black Twitter". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- ^ Roxanna, Carmen (22 May 2019). "Spectacular Smith's Company 'Adwizar' Named The Best Privately Owned Company In America On The Entrepreneur 360 List". Baller Alert.
- ^ Grant, Jasmine. "Class Is In Session For This Member of Pretty Ricky, Who is Officially a Harvard Student". vh1.com.
- ^ "Spectacular Handles His Family Business". vh1.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019.
- ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.19.2019". vh1.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-20.