[4][5] Smith was born in Oakland, California,[6] and began writing at a young age through keeping journals and creating a newspaper called the Weekly Arrow in the fourth grade.

[6] Following a relocation to Los Angeles at the age of 10,[7] Smith graduated high school in 1983 at St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood, California.

During this period, Smith worked as a workshop leader at the Radcliffe Publishing Course in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and served on the adjunct faculty of the Writing Program at the New School University.

After three years, Smith had a short stint at The Washington Post's African-American political site, The Root,[18] before returning to the music industry publication Billboard as editor.

[22] Smith regularly appears on network and cable television outlets to provide commentary on entertainment and pop culture topics.

[7] More Like Wrestling, a coming-of-age story of two sisters growing up in Oakland, drew critical praise and was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller.

[26] The New York Times Book Review called it "lyrical and original",[27] while The Washington Post said that Smith's "prose sings with precision".

"[29] In 2005, Smith published her second novel, Bliss, about a female record executive navigating personal and professional challenges in the late 90s.

A one-time publication with a print edition of 2,000, HRDCVR includes articles on Drake, Jamal Crawford, and Sasha and Malia Obama, and features contributions from Janet Mock, Big Boi, Michael Arceneaux, Jeff Chang, Kid Fury, and Tinashe, among others.