Cakelife Gougz (real name: Terrence Smith) was born and raised in the small village of Greenport on the North Fork's East End in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.  Cultivating a love of Hip-Hop music from around the age of ten, he would immerse himself in the sounds of the day - particularly artists he would hear his brother, almost thirteen years his senior, play.  These artists included Slick Rick, KRS-One, Doug E. Fresh, and M.O.P.  He was also influenced by Jazz and the smooth R&B sounds of artists like Luther Vandross, Anita Baker and others.

A star athlete in high school in both football and basketball, Cakelife's dreams were shattered in his junior career when he broke his leg.  It was around this time that he decided to shift his focus, and first began rapping on his own.  Having previously cultivated a love for "old school" Hip-Hop music, he eventually found himself developing a affinity for other styles of Hip-Hop (and music in general), and particularly songs he could relate to on a personal level. 

Originally known in the streets of his community as "Gougz," he eventually decided to go by the name "Cakelife."  As he explains "I would be working out and in order to psyche myself up I would say that I'm going to get this cake."  He further elaborates "the music made the Cakelife name grow."  Putting the two names together, he decided to go by the professional name "Cakelife Gougz."    

Joining a local Hip-Hop outfit known as Borough Six, Cakelife's first professionally produced recording was a remix of Cam'ron's "Hey Ma"