D Smoke at ?The Studio at The Factory

Delivering socially conscious street tales aimed at empowerment, Inglewood’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. 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, he quickly issued his EP Inglewood High, which peaked in the Top Ten on the Billboard Rap Albums charts. Months later, D Smoke released his official full-length debut, 2020’s Black Habits. The set featured appearances by Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, his mother, and his brothers. The album reached number 25 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and earned D Smoke Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist.

– allmusic.com