''Struggle Before Glory'' is the lone studio album by Canadian rapper

Smoke Dawg Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart ( – ), known professionally as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He was a part of hip hop collective Halal Gang alongside Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z, Safe, and Mo-G who come together w ...

. The album received an 8/10 rating 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 ...

''.

Background

Smoke Dawg announced that his debut studio album ''Struggle Before Glory'' is due to be released later in the year. 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 album ''Struggle Before Glory'' was released on November 29, 2018. The album features from the likes of Toronto artists

Puffy L'z Habib Mohamed (born August 2, 1995), better known by his stage name Puffy L'z, is a rapper and singer from Toronto, Ontario. He is of Somali descent. Puffy L'z released his debut studio album '' Take No L'z'' on July 19, 2019, and it received a 6/1 ...

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 Jordan Whiston (born September 24, 1992), better known by his stage name Jay Whiss, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. He first gained international attention after the release of the single "Watch This", which appeared o ...

and

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 ...

, 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. Smoke Dawg's younger brother, Young Smoke, provided a tribute on the outro of the album.

Critical reception

The album was rated 8/10 by ''

''. The album was described as a "sum up of the late rapper's legacy". Aron A. of HotNewHipHop described the album as a sum up of the legacy of one of the hottest rappers who was emerging from Toronto in the past few years.

Track listing

# LLSD 2:01 # Automatic 3:28 # Three of a Kind (featuring Fredo &

Jay Critch Jason Cole Critchlow (born February 25, 1998), known professionally as Jay Critch, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City. He signed with Rich the Kid's record label, Rich Forever Music, in 2016, and first gained recognition from hi ...

) 3:57 # Fountain 1:53 # Bricks (featuring Giggs) 3:03 # Snow 2:51 # No Discussion (featuring

) 3:01 # These Games (featuring

) 2:41 # SB4G Interlude 1:09 # YND (featuring Safe &

) 4:13 # That's a Lot (featuring

) 2:44 # Dead to Me 3:22 # Smokey World (Bonus Track) Young Smoke 2:06

References

{{Authority control Smoke Dawg albums 2018 debut albums Albums published posthumously