NASHVILLE, Tenn. - As most people start the day, there are countless others pulling down the covers and climbing into bed. They have been working the overnight shift.
At the corner of Fourth Avenue and Broadway, the home to honky tonks, there's one place you won't find in any country song.
"Nashville is the Music City, not Country Music City, the Music City," said Kyhil Smith.
Smith is the Broadway Rapper. His night starts at 8 p.m. and lasts until 3 a.m.
"This is my main job," he said.
Whoever stops by becomes the subject of his songs.
"Come on guys, see you dancing with the ladies, at least throw a dollar in and quit acting shady," is just one of many raps you will hear him freestyle on any given night.
Some nights it turns into full blown sidewalk dance party.
"I'm doing what I love, what more can I say. I get to entertain people for a living, which is a blessing that I got and since I get to reap the benefits from that blessing, what more can I ask for," he explained.
Just a few blocks down from Smith, another Tennessean is pulling an all-nighter.
The Tennessean newspaper presses have a distinct rhythm, printing more than half a dozen weekly and daily products each night.
"It's like building a new car every night, you get a plan what the newsroom need for pages and you basically put a new project together every night from scratch," said assistant press room night supervisor Mark Epling.
Epling has watched the papers roll by on the production line for twenty six years.
"I come in at 9:30 at night and off at 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning. It's nonstop from the time we get here to the time we go," he said
Before it reaches readers, another crew scans and scours the pages for any printer errors.
Sometimes breaking news stalls the well-oiled machine.
"It seems like a lot happens at night. It seems like a lot of big stories break at the most inopportune time," Epling added.
But it never stops for long.
"You wake up in the morning and get your papers at your porch. If we didn't do this, you wouldn't get it," he explained.
And just outside of downtown, they are serving up late night eats at the Hermitage Café.
Laura Bennett has a few stories of her own after seven years on the nightshift.
"There's people you meet in here and I've known for years, regulars. It's like family," she said.
Morgan and Sheila Alexander had their first date at the Hermitage Café, and came back to celebrate.
"So tonight is the anniversary of that first time we met three years ago and we are expecting a baby in five months," he said.
The restaurant doesn't open until 10 p.m., which makes it a popular place to eat after a late night on the town.
"Sometimes people have too much to drink. We get a lot of that. That's cool, that's what makes it the Hermitage Cafe and makes it exciting," Laura said.
Anyone who works the late night shift or has story about the nightshift, send an email to Amy Watson at awatson@newschannel5.com or on Facebook at Facebook.com/NC5AmyWatson.
Kyhil Smith, The Broadway Rapper
Crowds dance to the beat of Kyhil Smith's drum.
The Tennessean on Broadway
The Hermitage Cafe
