As Big Smo will tell you, some blessings come well-disguised. The Tennessee rapper is about to release his first album, “Kuntry Livin,’ ” on Tuesday, and next week, a self-titled reality series, documenting the 39-year-old’s attempts to balance family life with a career as a “hick-hop” artist, will premiere on A&E. But if it hadn’t been for a tragedy in his youth, things may have turned out differently.
“I had a sister who was killed in a motorcycle wreck when I was around 4 years old,” Smo (real name John Smith) tells The Post. “My parents adopted her son, and so my nephew became my brother. He was three years older than me, so through him, I was exposed to hip-hop.” On top of his usual diet of Johnny Cash, his new brother Chris introduced him to Run-DMC, and a country-rap crossover began in Smo’s mind: Hick-hop was born.
Although he’s cast as the country bumpkin, Smo is fully prepared. “I know people are going to want our autographs and things like that,” adds Smo, who still works on his farm in Unionville, Tenn., and lives with his wife, Whitney, and two daughters. “We’re not gonna become reclusive — you’ll still see us at Wal-Mart!”