Daniel Anthony Farris (born October 17, 1985), known professionally as D Smoke, is an American rapper and former educator from Inglewood, California.[1] He first became known as the winner of the Netflix hip hop-based reality competition series Rhythm + Flow in 2019.[2] The following year, he independently released his debut studio album Black Habits (2020), which earned him nominations for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. In 2023, he signed with Snoop Dogg's Death Row Records.[3]

D Smoke
Birth nameDaniel Anthony Farris
Born (1985-10-17) October 17, 1985 (age 39)
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • educator
Years active2006–present
Labels EMPIRE
Websitedsmokemusic.com

Career

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Farris grew up in a musical family with his mother, brothers, and cousin being gospel singers in Inglewood, California. His mother was a backup singer for Tina Turner. In 2006, he formed the songwriting group WoodWorks with his brothers and his cousin Tiffany Gouché, who wrote songs for Ginuwine and The Pussycat Dolls, and is credited for co-writing "Never" by Jaheim.[4][5] He was also in a musical trio with his brother called N3D.[6] On May 9, 2006, he released his first album called Producer of the Year.[7] In 2015, he appeared on SiR's independent album Seven Sundays on the song "You Ain't Ready".[8]

In 2019, Farris was a contestant on the Netflix competition show Rhythm + Flow, and was named the inaugural winner of the three-week series.[9] On October 24, he released his debut extended play, Inglewood High, a 7-track project including a feature from Gouché. HipHopDX gave the EP a positive review, saying he could "utilize multiple flows, deliver introspective storytelling, could rap in Spanish incredibly well and had an ear for quality."[10] He performed at the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards with SiR.[11] He also appeared on the Game's 2019 album Born 2 Rap on its song "Cross on Jesus Back".[12]

D Smoke later appeared as himself in the Peacock series Bel-Air, in the episode "PA to LA", based on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also starred in Paramount series Mayor of Kingstown.

Personal life

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Born to mother Jackie Gouche' and father Ronald Farris which together had 3 boys. One of his brothers, SiR signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2017.

Farris graduated from UCLA and was a Spanish and music theory teacher at Inglewood High School.[13]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Album details
Producer of the Year
Black Habits
  • Released: February 7, 2020
  • Label: Woodworks Records, Empire
  • Format: Streaming, digital download
War & Wonders[14]
  • Released: September 24, 2021
  • Label: Woodworks Records, Empire
  • Format: Streaming, digital download

Extended plays

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Title Album details
Inglewood High
  • Released: October 24, 2019.
  • Label: Woodworks Records.
  • Format: Streaming, digital download.

Guest appearances

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List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"You Ain't Ready" 2015 SiR Seven Sundays
"Painkillers" 2017 Davion Farris Trenier
"City Boy" Sha'leah Nikole The Queen Issue
"Cross on Jesus Back"[15] 2019 The Game Born 2 Rap
"Champ" 2020 Fireboy DML Apollo
"HEADSHOTS" Tobe Nwigwe CINCOriginals
"Rhythm Kitchen" 2021 Rare Americans Jamesy Boy & The Screw Loose Zoo
"Can You Hear Me Now?" 2023 Lecrae Church Clothes 4: Dry Clean Only
"Bet on Me" Walk Off the Earth Stand by You
"Box of Stars Pt. 1" 2024 Jacob Collier Djesse Vol. 4

Awards and nominations

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Organization Year Category Nominee/work Result Ref.
Grammy Awards 2021 Best New Artist D Smoke Nominated [16]
Best Rap Album Black Habits Nominated
NAACP Image Awards 2021 Outstanding New Artist D Smoke Nominated [17][18]
Pop Awards 2021 Music Video of the Year "Black Habits I" Nominated [19][20]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet D Smoke, Inglewood And Hip-Hop's Next Hometown Hero". Vibe. November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  2. ^ EDT, Janice Williams On 10/30/19 at 12:49 PM (October 30, 2019). "'Rhythm + Flow' winner D Smoke talks Kendrick Lamar comparisons, new music and life after Netflix". Newsweek. Retrieved November 28, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "D Smoke & SiR Flex Brotherly Love in Joyful 'Work Hard, Play Hard' Visual". August 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "Meet D Smoke, Inglewood And Hip-Hop's Next Hometown Hero". Vibe. November 14, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "'RHYTHM + FLOW' WINNER D SMOKE TALKS NEW MUSIC, KENDRICK LAMAR COMPARISONS AND LIFE AFTER NETFLIX SHOW". News Week. October 30, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "D Smoke Reveals What's Next For Him After Winning Netflix's "Rhythm + Flow" Home Grown Radio". YouTube. October 26, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  7. ^ "D Smoke – Producer of the Year". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  8. ^ "Future Classic: SiR "Seven Sundays"". Musicismysanctuary. August 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "Rhythm + Flow: Why D Smoke Deserved to Win". ScreenRant. November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  10. ^ "Review: "Inglewood High" Proves "Rhythm + Flow" Winner D. Smoke Is A Future Star". HipHopDX. October 30, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  11. ^ "SiR & His Brother D Smoke Wow Soul Train Awards Crowd With Unforgettable Performance". HotNewHipHop. November 19, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Game's Final Album "Born 2 Rap" Features Nipsey Hussle, 21 Savage, D Smoke, & More". HotNewHipHop. November 29, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  13. ^ "'Rhythm + Flow' Champ D Smoke Reveals Why Cardi B Got Lawyers Involved During 'Battles' Round (Exclusive)". ET Online. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "D Smoke – War & Wonders". Itunes.apple.com. September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "Born 2 Rap". Apple Music. November 29, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List". Grammy.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Davis, Clayton (February 2, 2021). "Viola Davis, Tyler Perry and Regina King Up for Entertainer of the Year at 2021 NAACP Image Awards". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Bosselman, Haley (March 27, 2021). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Mackle, Jenna (January 17, 2021). "Welcome to the POP AWARDS 2021, the fourth annual Pop Awards". Pop Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  20. ^ "Pop Awards 2021, the 4th annual Pop Awards". Pop Awards. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
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