Neal “Rauf” Smith was born on July 1, 1968 in Newark, New Jersey to the late Amber Smith- McCallum and Neal A. McCallum. Rauf was the oldest of his siblings and took his role as a big brother quite seriously. Educated in the Newark Public Schools, Rauf was bright, charismatic, and most certainly “popular”. His unmatched sense of humor earned him a class superlative; “class clown” which his mother promptly made him forfeit. Rauf had a great interest in math; and following in the footsteps of his big cousins Thomas and Anthony, he later attended Science High School in Newark. Rauf had an entrepreneurial spirit. He owned and operated a clothing and merchandising business in Newark for over twenty years. To further feed his entrepreneurial spirit, Rauf became a licensed real estate agent about 15 years ago. He was most recently employed by Frederica Williams Realty in North Plainfield, New Jersey. Prior to that, he was employed by Exit-Queens Realty. In addition to real estate, Rauf had recently begun taking a course on trading and stocks. He was also the founder of a bookstore, All Eyes on Egipt -Newark, which opened in 2017. Rauf had an uncanny ability to adapt, which resulted in his ability to excel at about anything he put his mind to; this included most sports. He was an avid chess player and loved a good game of backgammon. Rauf learned to play the trumpet and read music while in elementary school and carried his love for the horn, jazz, and music into his adult life. His love for music led to the emergence of his hip-hop group, Sound-So-Fresh, which he formed with his brother and best friend, Omar “Double-O” Smith, and which occasionally featured his “little” sister, Danaah “Delightful D” McCallum. And while Rauf’s rap name may have evolved from Shorty Ra to Stinga, his mastery of lyricism remained unchanged; and he lived up to the legendary status bestowed upon him by New Jersey’s hip-hop community. Rauf wanted those who impacted his life to know of their significance. He often wrote songs honoring the people and things that he admired, including a new song dedicated to karate legend, Karriem ABdAllah, classic “banger” Dew Drop Boxing Club, and Stairway to Heaven, dedicated to his beloved mother. Although he too was a boxer, Rauf got the most joy from mentoring and coaching young boxers, including his niece, Isis, whom he coached to both Diamond and Golden Glove championships. Despite how busy Rauf was, he was never too busy to be a good brother. He was a dedicated Worshipful Master of the Yamasu Lodge No. 22 Original Egiptian Masonic Order. Though short in stature, Rauf stood tall and stared down some of life’s most difficult moments, including the loss of his parents. He conquered his own demons 16 years ago and he was proud to be living his life clean, serene, and clear minded. As his cousin Jamal Abdullah so eloquently stated, “Rauf enjoyed the latter part of his life. He had found his lady love, Mafdat, and he was happy with her. He made his family proud of what he had overcome and what he turned out to be.” We will miss the countless Facebook videos of Rauf dancing and his infamous “pop-up”, the videos of him playing his trumpet, and his ability to make us laugh hysterically. He will be remembered as an overly protective girl dad to Sylvia, Rasheedah, Nadirah, and Hadiyah; a doting grandfather to Zakai, Skyy, and Naeem, and the consummate big brother to sisters, Atiya and Fatimah, as well as a loving uncle to his nieces and nephews. Although no longer here, his memory will live on through his mate, Yakema Gooding; daughters, Sylvia Moore-Smith, Rasheedah Moore, Nadirah Smith, and Hadiyah Smith; grandchildren; Zakai, Skyy, and Naeem; siblings, Omar Smith; Danaah B. McCallum; Atiya McCallum- Bailey; Fatimah McCallum-Bowers (Kareem); Latiffah Troncoso; Shahid Stear; Malikkah Gamble; Stefan Jones; and Briona Bradford; three aunts, Thomasine Smith, Kathleen Smith, and Gail Jones. He also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.