As far as you can think back SMOKE grew up listening to artists like:
N.W.A., Too Short, Arabian Prince, LL Cool J, Rob Base, D.J. Easy Rock, Sir Mix a lot, E-40, & C-BO. They put a lot of influence and inspiration into his style.
He started expressing his lyrics to the notepad in 1990. A few years had passed and in 1992 SMOKE and his boy Quincy started a group called D-Low.
This is when opportunity first knocked & he started writing whole songs.
In 1995 he got connected with another talented producer D-Sane, who was incarcerated at the time, This however. did not stop the process from Rollin.
He shot SMOKE 2 full tapes with beats, and it was over. He started droppin several cuts like it was nothing. D-Sane was pumped by the fact SMOKE was so motivated and driven to spit.
In 96/97, SMOKE and D-Sane got serious and started putting in overtime, working on different tracks.
During this time period, SMOKE was rounding up some of his close homies (“B.D., J-Dub, Brazy, Sherm, & Big B”) trying to introduce them to the freestyle game, so that Smoke could make a group.
It was pretty much a breeze for these kats, and right before you knew it, They were about to drop their first underground album, called F.T.S.“KEEP IT REAL RECORDS.”
In 1998 another album was released called ,“F.T.S” due to an unsolved issue. SMOKE was unable to make any appearances.
2000 Is when things started to look up and SMOKE and the group came back and released a smash album, Money Motivated”.
This album really put them on the map and helped them to get recognized.
2001 wasn’t to great press wise, They came back with the “IK” album which numbers didn’t do that hot, It was a dope album but had bad marketing production.
During the making of the album B.D. and SMOKE had fallen out, and to make it worse, when the album was finished B.D. decided against putting SMOKE on the cover, Solely because B.D. was the money man.
However, SMOKE’S work was on half of the albums songs. Smoke says that, “It was a lesson learned.”
Continuing on in the same year SMOKE had made several appearances on, Syko and Byrdie’s albums, which made a lasting impression in the streets.
Coming into the end of 2001 though, D-Sane and SMOKE had some difference of opinions and SMOKE’S mind just wasn’t where it needed to be .
So SMOKE did what he had to do and dropped the label.
SMOKE started recording with “All World Records “ Where his boy Quincy had been recording with “Super Producer Doc.” Unfortunately, SMOKE ended up moving to Walla Walla, Washington and was locked up for a minute.
When SMOKE returned to the streets of Sea-Town in 2002, He started his Own label, “D.Y.S. / Red Door Records.” His first solo album didn’t turn out to be what SMOKE was hoping for, due to his lack of skills at mixing, So he chopped it up and kept pressin.
Finally to close out to the present, SMOKE hooked up with Jonas (A.K.A) who helped him finance a more quality album.
They put out the “Red Door” comp in 2005, which was okay. SMOKE came back though and put out his 2nd solo album in 2007 called “Out The Box” which, was FIRE in the streets.
SMOKE says, he feels he brought the name back “F.T.S.”.
Now it’s 2008, and SMOKE’S new solo just finished. ….As we speak, SMOKE is touring with “Bullet” from “East Side Muzik” selling albums state 2 state He is the only member from the group F.T.S. that still puts out music under the original name. SMOKE is now the founder of a REAL SEATTLE STREET GROUP!
So stay posted for more of SMOKE’S work from “Red Door Records.
