![]() ![]() “I like the way they incorporated all the different elements: standing up for yourself in the cypher, holding it down in the battle. “When I found out that they were doing auditions, I was in the classroom and I shared the opportunity with my students-and they encouraged me to go for it,” he said.ĭ Smoke was initially skeptical of the concept, especially given that existing hip-hop shows either focused on lifestyle ( Love & Hip Hop) or rap battles ( The Rap Game.) “I asked a lot of questions prior to agreeing to doing the show because I wanted to make sure it allowed for true artists to shine,” he said. Last year, D Smoke was working at the High School For Recording Arts in Los Angeles-where he taught music engineering, English and financial literacy-when he learned about an opportunity to appear on Netflix. ![]() ![]() “And being a thoughtful artist and having a very specific story and a commitment to my community, sometimes it feels like that road is longer.” Seizing an opportunity “I didn’t want to compromise certain values just to get quicker looks prematurely,” he said. D Smoke also co-founded Woodworks Records, an independent label, with his uncle a 2011 video shows D Smoke singing a Stevie Wonder song with his family.ĭ Smoke said that while he strived for mainstream success, he sometimes felt at odds with the industry’s demands. While D Smoke held down a day job, he continued to write music for other artists, record his own mixtapes, and perform with his brothers in their group the Woodworks-which opened for Kendrick Lamar at West Hollywood hotspot Whisky a Go Go in 2011. ![]()
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