Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart ( – ), known professionally as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He was a part of hip hop collective Halal Gang alongside Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z,

Safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

, and Mo-G who come together with the Prime Boys to make the supergroup Full Circle. His debut and only studio album '' Struggle Before Glory'' was released posthumously in 2018.

Career

Beginnings: 2012–2014

Smart began rapping at the age of 16 in 2012. He gained recognition in 2014 with the release of "Still" featuring Halal Gang member MoG, released on October 4, 2014. It gained over 1 million views within a month of release. This was two days before close friend Ano died. Mo-G and Smoke Dawg uploaded the song "Still" to YouTube in January 2015. In it, the two rappers and their friends rap, dance, and laugh in shadowy parking lots, fluorescent-lit apartment corridors, and an empty studio. Although the initial upload was deleted, its re-upload amassed over 4 million views within a year of being online.

''Trap House:'' 2015–2016

Smart released the single "Trap House" on July 31, 2016. The single introduced a dance move known as "flippin'" and gained the attention of artists including

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Moroccan Arabic, Arabic: IPA pronunciation, æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York ...

, who appeared on the official remix of the single and Toronto artist

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

. Drake went on to include Smart in many of his worldwide tours and he also headlined alongside ASAP Ferg. Safe released the single "Hang" in 2015 which saw a feature from Smoke Dawg. Smart subsequently went on to release the single "Overseas" alongside

Skepta Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of ...

in October 2016. This was Skepta's second work with a Canadian artist, the first being Tre Mission. The single was produced by Toronto native Murda Beatz. Smart also performed at Toronto's first independent hip-hop festival outside of OVO's own offering, 6 Fest. The two-day festival saw Smoke Dawg performing alongside his Halal Gang as well as Pusha T, French Montana and Roy Woods.

''Struggle Before Glory'': 2017–2018

Smart was placed on '' Nows list of Toronto musicians to watch for in 2017. In February 2017, Smart released the song "Count it Up" where he went to London, UK to shoot the music video. He also headlined in London with supporting acts from Nafe Smallz, Drake and Splurgeboys. Whilst in the UK, Smoke Dawg and Halal Gang affiliate Puffy L'z dropped a "Fire in the Booth" freestyle with

Charlie Sloth Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon (born 20 August 1981), known professionally as Charlie Sloth, is a British DJ, hype man, producer and TV presenter. Early life Boy Meets World Tour touring with

. During this month Smart also featured on Jimmy Prime's single "Humana" alongside Donnie. Toronto's most notorious music festival, uTOpia, was held during June 2017 and premiered showcase for the new generation of artists in the General Toronto Area. Smoke Dawg who was one of the main performers of the festival brought out Puffy L'z and Mo-G. The event was rated 7 by ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', who described Prime Boys and Halal Gang's performance as playing off of each other's energy, which ultimately brought the night together. In September 2017, Smart was featured in the documentary "Northside" which highlighted Toronto's fledgling rap scene.

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

released a short documentary titled "Noisey Meets Smoke Dawg" in December 2017. The behind-the-scenes documentary caught up with Smoke Dawg in Toronto where he talked about his rise, the passing of his best friend, and how to break out of Toronto's glass ceiling. Smart announced that he was working on his debut studio album '' Struggle Before Glory'' in early 2018. However, before the album was officially released, he was shot and killed on June 30, 2018, in front of a nightclub in

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the nor ...

. The lead single of the album "No Discussion" featured AJ Tracey and was produced by Murda Beatz. It was released a month after his death on August 13, 2018. Smoke Dawg's posthumous debut and only studio album ''Struggle Before Glory'' was released on November 29, 2018. The album was rated 8/10 by ''

''. The album features from the likes of Toronto artists Puffy L'z,

Jimmy Prime Gordon Edward Phillips III (born ), better known by his stage name Jimmy Prime, is a rapper from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jimmy is known for coining "The Six" as a nickname for Toronto and being the frontman of the hip hop group Prime Boys. Musi ...

, Jay Whiss and

, as well as UK artists Fredo,

AJ Tracey Ché Wolton Grant (born 4 March 1994), known professionally as AJ Tracey, is a British rapper and record producer from Ladbroke Grove, London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by ''The Guardian'' in a list of "best new acts to c ...

and Giggs. The album was described as a "sum up of the late rapper's legacy". Smoke Dawg's younger brother, Young Smoke, provided a tribute on the outro of the album.

Posthumous appearances and legacy: 2019–present

Halal Gang affiliate Mustafa the Poet released a short film titled ''Remember Me, Toronto''. The film aims to discuss the systemic structure working against the lower economies of Toronto and wanted to give these artists the opportunity to "rewrite their memories and the memories of those they lost". Smart was featured at the start of the clip in archive footage of his speech on how he wishes to be remembered. Smart appeared on Puffy L'z debut album ''Take No L'z'' released on July 19, 2019, on the single "Boring" alongside Jay Whiss. He was also featured on

Donnie Donnie or Donny is a familiar form (hypocorism) of the masculine given name Donald, Donal, Don, or Donovan. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Donny Baldwin, American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship and Starsh ...

's debut album ''From the Beginning to End'' released on November 22, 2019, on the track "Good as it Gets" alongside

. Jay Whiss released the single "Mind in a Maze", the lead single for his debut album '' Peace of Mind''. The song was a tribute to Smoke Dawg and has stated that it was his favorite song ever recorded. Smart was known for his adlib "Awhoolay", in an interview with '' Now'' newspaper, Puffy L'z stated he uses the adlib to keep Smart's name alive. Mustafa the Poet dedicated his debut album When Smoke Rises to Smoke Dawg released in 2021. The title of the album is a reference to him as well as featuring Smart on the cover art.

Death

On June 30, 2018, Smart was killed in a shooting in broad daylight in front of a downtown

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

in the

Toronto Entertainment District The Toronto Entertainment District is an area in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is concentrated around King Street West between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue. It is home to theatres and performing arts centres, the Toronto Blue Ja ...

near the corner of

Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original eas ...

and

Spadina Avenue Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods. Spadina Avenue runs south ...

. The perpetrators allegedly shot multiple times and fled in a black SUV with tinted windows. Three victims, including Smoke Dawg, were injured. Two were later pronounced dead in hospital. Affiliates of Smoke Dawg posted on social media that Smoke Dawg and 28-year-old Prime Boys manager Koba Prime (birth name Ernest "Kosi" Modekwe) were killed in the shooting, with the

Toronto Police Service The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...

confirming this as a fact the following day. Mayor

John Tory John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian lawyer, broadcaster, businessman, and former politician who served as the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. He served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007 ...

blamed the shooting on

gun violence Gun-related violence is violence against a person committed with the use of a firearm to inflict a gunshot wound. Gun violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable ...

and as a result met with the 6ixBuzz team and

Director X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian music video director. Having trained under Hype Williams, Lutz has been credited for directing over a hundred music videos spanning various genres si ...

to meet with members of the hip-hop community to talk gun violence solutions and raise awareness on the issue. It was found that Abdulkadir Handule, who is known by his stage name "21Neat", pled not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, but was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder by an Ontario Superior Court jury in February 2022. Handule is currently serving a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are c ...

Discography

Studio albums

* 2018: '' Struggle Before Glory''

Songs

As lead artist As featured artist

Filmography

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1996 births 2018 deaths 2018 murders in Canada 21st-century Canadian rappers 21st-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian male rappers Murder in Ontario People murdered in Toronto Deaths by firearm in Ontario Canadian murder victims Rappers from Toronto 21st-century Canadian male musicians 2018 in Ontario