D Smoke
Delivering socially conscious street tales aimed at empowerment, Inglewood, California's own D Smoke made his mainstream breakthrough in 2019 as the first winner of the reality rap competition Rhythm + Flow. However, by that time, the bilingual multi-instrumentalist (guitar, drums, piano) had already been busy on the scene for over a decade as both a songwriter and an underground figure influenced as much by West Coast predecessors Kurupt and Snoop Dogg as gospel singers Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams. Bridging genres as well as the Black and Latinx communities, D Smoke also spent years as a Spanish and music theory teacher at his own alma mater, Inglewood High School. Soon after winning Rhythm + Flow, he issued his official debut, the Grammy-nominated Black Habits, in 2020. The star-studded War & Wonders appeared in 2021.
Born Daniel Anthony Farris, the California emcee grew up in a family of musicians. In addition to an uncle who played bass for Prince, his mother, gospel singer Jackie Gouche-Farris, sang backup for Michael Jackson and Anita Baker, while his brothers Davion Farris and SiR branched into R&B. Family-focused, he formed a songwriting team with his brothers and cousin Tiffany Gouche in the early 2000s called WoodWorks. Together they penned tracks for artists such as Ginuwine and the Pussycat Dolls. On the side, Farris self-released efforts under the moniker Supa Good D Smoke and appeared on SiR's 2015 album Seven Sundays. Outside of music, Farris pledged himself to his community, mentoring and counseling teenagers while also teaching Spanish and music theory at Inglewood High School, where he graduated before heading to UCLA.
From the classroom to the television screen, D Smoke tried out for Rhythm + Flow in 2019, securing a spot in the competition alongside fellow finalists Londynn B, Troyman, and Flawless Real Talk. With songs like "Last Supper" and "Let Migo," he presented honest snapshots of the realities of life in Inglewood while rapping in both English and Spanish. This impressed the judges and audience enough for him to take home the top prize. Following his victory, D Smoke quickly issued his EP Inglewood High, which peaked in the Top Ten on the Billboard Rap Albums charts. Months later, he released his official full-length debut, 2020's Black Habits. The record featured appearances by Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, his mother, and his brothers. The set reached number 25 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and earned D Smoke Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist. He released his Billboard-charting sophomore effort, War & Wonders, the following year, which included features from Ty Dolla $ign, Marsha Ambrosius, Dem Jointz, Tobe Nwigwe, BJ the Chicago Kid, Fireboy DML, Westside Boogie, and John Legend.
© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Black Habits (Deluxe)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Feb 7, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
War & Wonders
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Sep 23, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Shame On You
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Aug 13, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Black Habits
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Feb 7, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm Alive (From The Motion Picture Infinite)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Roc Nation Records, LLC on Jun 25, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
-
Shine
Robert Glasper, D Smoke, Tiffany Gouche
R&B - Released by Loma Vista Recordings on Oct 7, 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Work Hard Play Hard
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - Death Row Records - gamma. on Jun 15, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let Go
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on May 29, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Glide - A COLORS SHOW
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by COLORSxSTUDIOS on Apr 19, 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
War & Wonders
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Sep 23, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Fly (feat. Davion Farris)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Jan 16, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
No Commas
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Jan 23, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Habits
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by WoodWorks Records - EMPIRE on Feb 6, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
POWER ft. (D. Smoke & Kelvyn Colt)
DJ Fricktion, D Smoke, Kelvyn Colt
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Dope Enemy Records on May 12, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -