Photo by @itchyeyephotos
April 30th, 2022 was a big moment for the city of Sacramento. A star-studded lineup graced Discovery Park. Amongst the stars, we caught a heartwarming moment. Sir Darryl Farris, better known as the Sir was giving his all on the stage. In the enchanted crowd, one face stood out amongst all, and that face was that of a proud Daniel Anthony Farris, better known as D Smoke. To fully grasp this moment we would have to go back nearly 30 years into the life of D Smoke.
D Smoke was born into hardship and challenge. His Inglewood neighborhood had a reputation for taking the futures of its youth. The rapper grew up in a household that was kept together by a single mother due to his father being incarcerated for nearly 7 years. This household included D Smoke, his mother, and two brothers Davion and Sir Darryl Farris.
D Smoke's mother was a teacher and a musician who took her gifts and instilled them into her children. At a young age, D Smoke grew up playing and listening to classical music. This deeply rooted love for music would continue to fuel his life and career.
"growing up my life consisted of being in the classroom and learning music," he told the No Jumper cast.
This balance of music and school would propel D Smoke too many individual accolades. After getting a full-ride scholarship to UCLA, D smoke would bring what he had learned back to his Inglewood community by becoming a teacher at Inglewood highschool.
Sir, D Smokes little brother would get the break of his life by signing with the well-known label, Top Dawg Entertainment, the record label of Kendrick Lamar. While Sir got his moment, D Smoke continued to have hope and confidence as he refined his skills. The patience brought him opportunities such as writing for well known artists like Jaheim, The Pussy Cat Dolls, and Usher.
The wait for stardom would be over when D Smoke won Rhythm + Flow, the Netflix hip-hop competition series judged by Cardi B, T.I., and Chance the Rapper. The performance that captivated everyone's eyes was his final performance where he displayed all of his musical upbringings by playing the piano, displaying yet another talent many didn't know he had.
Fast forward to Sol Blume 2022, We caught up with Sir after his performance to reflect on what it was like for him and his brother to be performing at the same place.
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