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The Black Terror: DA Smart · Tha Smoking Section Podcast

• Smokey Da Bandit: Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. This is your boy Smokey the Bandit and Hatties Can't Stand It. And this is another episode of the Smoking Section. And tonight, we got a special guest in the building, a true Chicago legend, a pioneer, a voice that helped shape the culture and put real respect on the city's hip hop scene. Now this man has been standing on business for years, representing the culture, the streets, the struggle. the truth and authentic Chicago hip hop at the highest level. From classic records to unforgettable moments in the culture, he's earned his stripes and solidified his name in the game. Y'all already know who it is. The Black Terror himself, D.A. Smart, is in a motherfucking building. We about to talk music, life, Chicago history, the grind, the struggles, the victories, and everything in between. Unfiltered and uncut the way the Smoking Section podcast always does it. But before we get into it, make sure everybody taps in right now. Subscribe, like, comment and share. Telefriend, a telefriend to tune on in because this is one episode you do not want to miss. So let's get it started and bring in the legend himself, D.A. Smart. The man, the myth, the legend. Welcome. How you feeling? DA SMART: With my hands bro. Smokey Da Bandit: That's what's up man. Thank you for being a guest on my show man. DA SMART: Hey man, I'm honored to be here with you, Smokey, man. You know you my dog. We go back like fat crayons and cow seeds. Smokey Da Bandit: We do, Well, this is the smoking section, so I can't get started without stimulating my mind. Do you partake? DA SMART: I do. Smokey Da Bandit: You do? Okay, well hey, that's good, because we gonna have fun talking about some smoke and some other things. ⁓ DA SMART: Hmm? Smokey Da Bandit: Let me get started. So, ⁓ let's just kick this shit right off, man. DA SMART: name. Smokey Da Bandit: I had to interview you one because you're Chicago icon, you're a legend. man, the last couple episodes that I've done, my guests have all spoken highly of you. So I had to bring you on. I done had Sluggo on here, I done had Tifa on here, I done had Dereck on here. They all had stories about the legend himself, D.A. Smart. DA SMART: Wow. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah man, they gave you your flowers bro. So ⁓ huh? DA SMART: What? I appreciate that. I'm flattered, taken aback, but I love to hear that because people are always in their own lane and you don't know what they think about you. You just know them from how you know them. But I know I love all of those people you just mentioned because they all dope and what they do always been. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah? Yeah. DA SMART: My encounters probably reflect the same from when, you know, they stories about me. So, yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, shout out to them, man. DA SMART: after the meeting. Smokey Da Bandit: So, DA, first off, where did you get your name DA Smart from? DA SMART: Well, I got it from, you know, I started rapping because of my friend. His name was MC Rock. Smokey Da Bandit: MC Rock. Shout out to MC Rock. DA SMART: Yeah, may he rest in peace. Smokey Da Bandit: Rest in peace, just be. DA SMART: And because he was my friend, he brought me into the rap game. Before then I was a B-boy, but I was into breakdancing, know, pop locking, things like that. But when he and I became friends, he introduced me to the hip hop game and I wanted to be like him. His name was MC Rock and I wanted my name to be something like that. But I could, it took me a little time to create it. I didn't want a name that didn't have meaning. So I loved LL Cool J. So I was devastated. I'm so good, it's a shame. I eat rappers like a cat, you know. So I was devastated A, meaning I was devastated and I was A, number one, the first letter in alphabet. Smokey Da Bandit: Mm-hmm. DA SMART: Mr. Higher grade, you could get in school. But it still wasn't like MC Rock, it was just DA. So I didn't wanna be DA the killer, DA the murderer, DA the whatever pimp. You feel me? I wanted something to personify what I wanted to project to my audience. Was not all of us that represent this is not just Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. DA SMART: representing the bowels of the ghetto, but we also represent something that's bright from the ghetto. So DA Smart was the name I chose. It did, I made it ⁓ applicable to what I did to MCs, which was smash the ass. Smokey Da Bandit: Ooh! We gonna get into that later on, but yeah. ⁓ DA SMART: You know, I was a battle rapper, so it was devastating abolisher smashing mostly around Robert Taylor's. Then my boys started taking me to other neighborhoods all across the city. So it went from Robert Taylor. I said, no, it can't just be Robert Taylor. I smashed niggas around rough territories, period. That's including the world. It don't matter where I go now. It's applicable. Okay. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. Yeah. DA SMART: D.A. Smart was a battle rapper, but the Black Terror was the one that stood up for the justice and the rights of our people, was Black people. The Black Terror was the one that created Black People Ain't Prejudice, We Just Mad, the one that created message to the Black man, message to the white man, message raps, the Black woman. Okay, you know, things of that nature. So the ASMR, the black terror, he is I and I am him. Smokey Da Bandit: Motherfucker catching, that's indeed. Now when you was explaining DA Smart, you had a lot of, you gave me different versions of that, but it sound like you broke down an acronym too. What was the acronym? DA SMART: Absolutely, ⁓ B.A. Tomorrow is an acronym. It's Devastating Abolisher Smashing Mostly Around Rough Territories. Smokey Da Bandit: That's it hard. I never knew that. I never knew that. That's hard. DA SMART: And I drop wisdom knowledge and understanding so I'm da smart not da to kill it not da to pimp alright And if you think I'm corny step to the mic motherfucking I could show you something else Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, I like Start it up. DA SMART: Yeah, that's it. Smokey Da Bandit: Okay, so what was Chicago like for you growing up before the music? DA SMART: ⁓ Poverty but beautiful fun electric dangerous, exciting. ⁓ Explorable. A good teacher. Smokey Da Bandit: I like that. So I've heard you say it a couple times and plus I'm already familiar with it but you are from the Robert Taylor Projects? For those that... DA SMART: Absolutely. I was born, I was born in all-girl gods, the dirty thirties. Smokey Da Bandit: I'll go with gardens. DA SMART: Yes, all guilt gods. Smokey Da Bandit: That's an argument. And you know, we got viewers from all over the world. Can you let the people know what ⁓ part of Chicago that's from, where that's at? DA SMART: This the South side of Chicago. It's called the Wild Hunts. It's all Gale God's or all Gale Murray's. It's like, if you know some, any other ghetto that I can compare it to, it's like Chicago's Compton. Smokey Da Bandit: you ⁓ Yeah. So you went from Argyle to Robert Taylor. DA SMART: Robert Taylor Holmes, one of the largest projects in Chicago. Smokey Da Bandit: Can you break that down for the people who's not familiar with it? Because that's a building that no longer exists, DA SMART: Yeah, they tore them down. But they were like, it was 12 units on each floor, 16 floors stacked on top of each other. ⁓ A lot of people, poor, impoverished, single mothers, mostly. Back then, they used to have an officer from the aid office come and check. The apartments, make sure ain't no man close it now. Real talk, bro. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah... Yeah I know. DA SMART: Exactly. Well, I really know me in present only the boys that grew up under women. And the projects was part of that process. Project mean experiment. Smokey Da Bandit: Thank DA SMART: Let that sink in. Smokey Da Bandit: name. So ⁓ DA SMART: I'm from that. I'm part of that experiment. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, and you a survivor as well. DA SMART: And I'm here. Smokey Da Bandit: Still here? Still here? Represent. So you said you was a B-boy dancer. What got you into, was it that that got you rapping? Or was it your friend or was it some other influence like you said, LL? What made D.A. Smart start rapping? DA SMART: Absolutely. My friend, he would rap. V-Box, rapping the hallways where the acoustics was good and the bass sounded louder. And he'll start rapping, him and his friend named Johnny. And I was like, damn, y'all be rapping too? You know, cause we met Pop Locking. And so when I listened to him rap, I was like, ⁓ shit, I can do this. You know, and I just started spitting. Smokey Da Bandit: Right. That's why I asked. Yeah. DA SMART: you know, freestyle right off the dome. I was cold instantly. It was meant for me. Smokey Da Bandit: Alright, alright. DA SMART: Real talk, man. It was old from then. That's how it started, man. And yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, Dereck mentioned a story where he was in a talent show that he won. Him and his group, when he was in a group with Never from Crucial Conflict, shout out to Never, shout out to Dereck. He mentioned, and it was like a trickery story that he told, but he said that they was in a ⁓ talent show back in the day, and his group, was him, and they had dancers pop. know, pop locking in wheel for work and all that shit. And they won the talent show due to, according to him, way he put it, was damn near like default because you said some shit that upset the crowd. And he remembered the rhyme and everything, but he said he felt like you should have won and technically you would have won, but you said something that upset the crowd or upset the judges rather. You remember that? DA SMART: Mm-hmm. Well, that happened a lot of time in my life, no matter where I went, because I was so pro-black and ⁓ abrasive. I was so abrasive. Usually these talent shows be sponsored by white sponsorship, and they'd there watching over what they money, basically. And then I come and say, you white motherfuckers. Smokey Da Bandit: Yep. ⁓ Yeah. DA SMART: And they'd like, ⁓ no, we don't want none of that. No, no, go back to dancing and jig it for us. Don't be sending no messages up here to galvanize these niggas. No. So, you know, I used to get that a lot. But only when it was like controlled by black people, owned by black people, and know, controlled by them was the only time I was giving my jazz to do. Except one time. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: when I went to New York City for the 21st Zulu anniversary. and proceed. Smokey Da Bandit: That's a story I was gonna bring up later on. I think it sound like it. Cause we, heard some stuff, man. Let let me, me just get to this. Cause I know you got a lot to tell, man. You a, man. When did you realize people looked at you different because of your personality and energy? DA SMART: Okay. on Man, in the eighties, when I was battling rappers like Top Dog from Robert Taylor Home, Top Dog and Willie E, I was just battling heavyweights in my area because it wasn't a whole lot of rappers everywhere like it is now. you had to go find rappers back in the day. could just walk down the street, everybody rapping. Okay, so. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: at parades, anywhere there was a large gathering, you wanted to be there, just in case you meet somebody that's hip hop and do what you do so you can show off what you do, which is, I like to slay niggas in front of people. I'd be like, you rap? Yeah, all right, let's battle. Fuck it, right now. Smokey Da Bandit: I just keep hearing you. You just keep speaking on how you just slaughter niggas, man. DA SMART: That's what it was about back then. didn't, it wasn't known. We weren't on the radio. The radio was like, no rap, never had it, never will. They was talking that type of shit. So we found it in the streets and the talent shows where we can show what we do. You know, that's how I did it with my freestyle, man, and my personality. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ huh. DA SMART: When I started beating everybody, put nobody touch me, I knew, you know, you know how you sharpen your sword and you test it on some meat. All right. I'm slicing shit apart over here. Ain't nobody coming up against this. They ain't even ready. I knew it. Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. Yeah. That's what's up, man. Talk your shit, DA. That's why I to talk your shit. And so, man, a lot of your peers, man, when they found out I was interviewing you, was happy and told me that you are known as one of the first MCs in Chicago. DA SMART: Meow. Smokey Da Bandit: Is that true? Is that accurate? DA SMART: I don't know if I was the first MC. It was MC's. Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: One of them, one of them, but you know, it seemed like already the trend damn near. That's what I'm hearing. DA SMART: I mean, I think I may have kicked open some doors a little bit, but I didn't, if people give me love, I appreciate it. ⁓ I'm still the same. I'm the same person I was 30 years ago, okay? Except I don't battle niggas like that no more because, you know, to have strong arms, you need to exercise. Smokey Da Bandit: You ain't got nobody to spar with, huh? DA SMART: So I started getting flabby, you know, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his old age. So, you know, but... I like the way people going on wax, I don't mind that. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. What was the first moment when you felt like? I could really become somebody in entertainment. DA SMART: Well, I knew that when they came to me, when they was asking me to sign deals that were master-slave relationships that I didn't want to sign. That's when I knew. Smokey Da Bandit: Thank DA SMART: Yeah, and they kept coming with the same deal. And I would read it and I will strike shit out of it that I don't like. The first deal encounter, let me see, was 18, 19, then 23, then 24. Yeah, I had a few. Smokey Da Bandit: I owe you about this time. and I love it. When you started rapping, I hope. DA SMART: I was 12. Smokey Da Bandit: Damn! I was 11. For a show. Nah, do you? I remember it was about... It was like for girl. It was for a girl. I remember that. DA SMART: You ain't rap dead, nigga, you trippin'. That's your beginning, boy, that's your genesis. Okay, okay, that's dope. Now see, my rap was conscious. It went like this. Living in the ghetto is a pitfall spray paint graffiti on the brick wall gang bangers hanging out on the street while rappers like me be rocking to the beat This is story and it's not for play living in a dangerous life every day behind closed doors There's a lot of strange things like prostitute girls at the age of 13 some might steal it some might lie But this is just a little story about that ghetto crowd Smokey Da Bandit: That's your first rap? DA SMART: First rap, bro. Smokey Da Bandit: Wow. Wow. And you still remember that. Damn. ⁓ I can't say I smoke a lot of weed because you smoke a lot of, you know, you said you smoke. I can't even say that's an excuse. ⁓ that's that's dope, D.A. DA SMART: Yeah. That's my first rap song. It was called Ghetto Cry. I wrote a rap called Fat Girls. You know, I did some shit back in the day that I still remember. Never wrote it down, really. Just said it so much that I remembered it. You know, it became songs that people remember. Do that fact, do the ghetto song, you know, that type of thing. I just remember it. Smokey Da Bandit: Who were some of the MCs that inspired you, that helped give you, know, that you took from to create who you are? DA SMART: Number one, MC Rock, he was my friend. He knew how to rap and flow and put words together that was, in my opinion, eloquently. ⁓ And my favorite rapper after being introduced to the hip hop world was LL Cool J. You know, I love people like KRS-One because the way he was the teacher, you feel me? ⁓ I love the styles he had, I like just ice. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: thought he was Doe, Tee La Rock, know, Rock Kim, you know, some of the other favorites as well, but I'm just going back a little further. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, yeah, shout out to them. All right, and I can see that, I can see that, because you teach ill shit, but you teach Chicago culture, and black culture, but Chicago culture. ⁓ What was missing, what was the Chicago rap scene missing when you first came in? DA SMART: So move. Me, I'm a little DA Smezl. That's all. It need a balance. You know what I'm saying? Like everybody feel like they gotta get on by killing and murdering us. No other coach would do that but us. Okay, so it needed a balance. That's cool. That's the truth. It happens in the hood. That's real. All right, but what else happened? Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah Yeah. Yeah. DA SMART: Okay, you know, that's all it needed to balance. And that's why the world view us as animals now, because that imbalance, it was in our movies, our music, it was all aggressive and terrible. We savages, rapists, pimps, hoes, sluts, gangsters, killers, murderers, that's all we personify. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: in these movies and that's how we portray. So when they turn the guns on us, ain't nobody gonna cry out for us. They gonna be like, man, they deserve what they get. Like we ain't the creators of all things. They just surmised us to puppets for the money. And that's a sad situation when it comes to hip hop. And that's why sometimes When I walk in certain areas, people are uncomfortable because I never was, you know, they knew me before and they know me now and I never switched up. Smokey Da Bandit: been the same DA since I met you. Well, respect it. DA SMART: And I appreciate that. And that's without a deal, on my own, without nothing. I just, just a hometown nigga that's real. I appreciate that. I love that. I can't do nothing but say, damn, that's dope as hell. Somebody appreciate what I have to give and I give it from here. So, you know, I'm definitely hoping it connect. Smokey Da Bandit: So, with that being said, every time I see you, I give you your flowers. And I told you at beginning of the show that it's a couple episodes that you're mentioned in. But in your opinion, do you feel like Chicago gives its legends their flowers while they're still here? DA SMART: for presenting. You know, that's hard to say. I think Chicago should. They definitely should. That's what the View and Spew is all about, which is coming up May 23rd at 8018 South Wallace. It's about appreciating the creators, the collaborators, the DJs, house, hip hop, R &B, everything Chicago. Okay, we are great. in our individual rise to wherever we end up. But we will be even greater as a united front representing all of them under one umbrella that we'll be strong as hell. That's the beginning of what we, that's why this is a fellowship to view and spew. We wanna view what people doing in the movies. We wanna watch their videos. We wanna see them song perform. We wanna listen to nothing but hip hop from Chicago, R &B from Chicago, house music from Chicago. We wanna celebrate us. We gonna have food, fun. It's gonna be safe. And it's us. It's free. Come on out. Smokey Da Bandit: Salute. Yes sir, yes sir. Now, I have my own opinion. Matter of fact, before I get to this question, I heard everything you just said. What do you think it takes, it's gonna take for something like that to happen? What you said about, you know, Chicago coming together the way you just described. DA SMART: I think consistency beats resistance in any situation. If we consistently do something and never give up, a lot of us have a little fire and then it die out. But ⁓ if we got somebody that could be consistent, then it will be successful. mean, the nation of Islam wouldn't be in 50 cities in America right now if it wasn't for the consistency of Malcolm X. Smokey Da Bandit: Amen. Thank DA SMART: So that's a feat or odds that you believe is. unachievable until you have someone that's consistent enough to carry out the job. Then once you see it achieved, then you wanna mind yourself something that you probably don't deserve credit for, but that's okay. The person that did it won't even care because it ain't about him anyway. It's an idea for us. I'm finite, we finite, but if we keep raising Smokey Da Bandit: Right DA SMART: children and making new boppers, new dancers, and we are not benefiting from what we create here in Chicago and everybody else is benefiting from it but us. I don't think that's why. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, I feel that. feel that. Yeah, yeah. What I was about to say was I got my opinion of how I was introduced to you. But you y'all, this is from the horse's mouth. What was your biggest record or moment that changed your life? DA SMART: A moment that changed my life. When I was on the regal stage, and I did, Black People Ain't Prejudice, we just met and I was disqualified from the talent show. That was it. Smokey Da Bandit: That's what Dereck was talking about. That's crazy. DA SMART: Mm-hmm. It started everything. It was the revolution began for me, my revolution. You know. Smokey Da Bandit: Why is that? Because you was just DA SMART: because I took that show on the road, bro. I went all over the world being D.A. Smart. Whether it was three people there or 3,000, it was always him. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. So I'll see you Was there ever a point where you almost quit music? DA SMART: No, it was a thought, but I love music. As long as my body and my mind create, I'm gonna do music. If I get to the point where I don't wanna create or it's a labor and not one of love and desire, then I might say, man, I'm just doing it for, know, just to keep up with the Joneses, I'm not in it. But I do it because I love it, I like Me and me, I like rapping, using words to express myself to the masses and making a recording of Psalms and scriptures, spitting the isms and ignorant niggas and bashing the brains out the ignorant, you know, shit like that. I like that type of shit. Smokey Da Bandit: I did too. DA SMART: Thank Smokey Da Bandit: All right. DA SMART: you Smokey Da Bandit: It's it's real, it's real. ⁓ damn. I also asked you what was your biggest record. you feel with me? You got a classic record. Walk with me. Is that your biggest record? DA SMART: It's my most famous record. Yes, Walk With Me. Absolutely. I'm synonymous with that, which is great. I love Walk With Me. I think it was, ⁓ it's a unique song. It was created to be unique. I didn't wanna just make any old other song. It was a purpose for Walk With Me. It was a reason behind Walk With Me. has a lot of meaning. If you even a title, walk with me, okay? That suggests I want you to come with me. Where? On a journey with who? Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: The gang bangers, the killers, the niggas in the street. Why them? Why you choose them? Because Jesus said, go not the way of the Gentile, but go to the lost sheep. Smokey Da Bandit: Hmm. Mmm. DA SMART: Right? And so I was under a situation where I was so pro-black and being with Creators Way, I was given a task to create a song for the streets. You man, you know, I understand you pro-black, but can you make a song that the streets love? Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. Yeah. DA SMART: And I said, ⁓ okay. You think I can't make a song for the streets and still be D.A. smart, the Black Terror? So Walk With Me was born and all I was was your tour guide saying walk with me. Let me show you something. Smokey Da Bandit: Walk with me through the city of South, where the vultures be. DA SMART: something done that nobody has ever done before. In my humble opinion, no one has talked since. Smokey Da Bandit: don't know nobody that made a GPS of the whole side. DA SMART: And coming up September 23rd, 2026, it'll be the 30th anniversary of Walk With Me. And ⁓ in commemoration of the song, I would like to do a remake of the song with a lot of other Chicago rappers representing their hoods on the song. So I'm calling out Kanye, Common, Bump J. Smokey Da Bandit: And yes. Congratulations. Yeah. DA SMART: Lupe, change the rapper. Smokey Da Bandit: WHAAAT? WHAAAT? DA SMART: All of them, Shana. Smokey Da Bandit: OOF! Let's go! DA SMART: We need an eight bar verse on the new 30 year, walk on me 30 year anniversary song. You know what I'm talking about? Smokey Da Bandit: Put it out there, send them smoke signals out there. Put it out there in the atmosphere. We need that for the 30th anniversary. ⁓ DA SMART: I'm sorry. with the. Smokey Da Bandit: He got excited. DA SMART: Mmmh! Smokey Da Bandit: Hell yeah, let's do that! Hey, y'all heard what he said man. That's all he asking for, for the 30th year anniversary. Y'all heard y'all? Y'all DA SMART: That's it. Come on, buddy. Show some love. All you gotta do is get up with the legendary Traxta. You know who doin' the beat. Smokey Da Bandit: OOOO Yeah, y'all heard our names. Let's get it done. DA SMART: Katie Gavans, nuisance, direct, crucial. Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: 30th anniversary, come on, that's gonna be the song of the century. That's gonna bring it back up. DA SMART: Come on man. That's what we need. Smokey Da Bandit: Hey, with that being said, congratulations on that, man. 30 year anniversary. Hey, we feel that in the atmosphere. We're sending them smoke signals out right now. We gotta get that song done for the 30 year anniversary. Can we get that done, y'all? Now, I think you gotta walk with me too, Is that called walk with me too or is that? DA SMART: Yep yep yep. We need to. I do. Yeah, it's called Walk With Me Part II. was something me and Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ you said it wasn't released? It wasn't released? Okay, I thought I saw it. But I was gonna ask, so since that isn't released, would you consider... ⁓ Would you consider where my mob's at? Like, walk with me too. DA SMART: ⁓ It's an association. It ain't like a walk with me too though. Smokey Da Bandit: That's because you was super gang banging on that motherfucker. That shit hard though, my mom at? DA SMART: Oh for sure, I'm talking to my people again. That's where the work at. And I appreciate it. But I'm talking to my brothers again. They're my soldiers. They're my soldiers. They're my soldiers. The only one we got. Smokey Da Bandit: I'm like this like a walk with me too. But hard, like more raunchy. DA SMART: but it wasn't produced by a track, so I can't say it's a rock or a to. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ I got a question. On secondhand smoke you say you was blackballed. DA SMART: Mm-hmm. Smokey Da Bandit: What's that about? DA SMART: It's about what I said. I struck contracts. I read them with the lawyer and things that was in them I didn't agree with them because we couldn't come to an amicable agreement on many occasions. And no matter how much money they offered, I didn't agree with the contract terms. So therefore you get blackballed. Meaning nobody work with you. You know, that type of deal. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. How long did that last? DA SMART: ⁓ shit. I guess forever. I don't know. Smokey Da Bandit: Get the fuck out of here. No. No. Niggas work with you, DA. DA SMART: ⁓ who? Smokey Da Bandit: You got a lot of songs with a lot of people. And we long overdue for one. I been asked you, so. DA SMART: Okay, who I got songs with. Smokey Da Bandit: Uh, shit. You got a brother, right? I know you got your brother. You ain't got no songs with the flick? No, do or die. DA SMART: Nobody. Nobody. Smokey Da Bandit: I I do hear you by yourself a lot. That's fucked up. I mean, that ain't fucked up, because that mean you can hold your own weight. But damn, I don't know. out. But they speak, everybody speaks highly of you. What is it? That don't make sense. DA SMART: Absolutely. ⁓ no, it ain't the right time. You know, we'll find the right song, the right time to, I guess. Smokey Da Bandit: Mmm. DA SMART: I'm working on it right now. We're walking me 3026. We could do that together. We could start there and then we could branch off and do some, know, bada bada bams. Smokey Da Bandit: I'll get that done, man. We need, you said we need Traxtor on the beat, right? DA SMART: Absolutely. Smokey Da Bandit: Alright, Traxxas, DA SMART: Why you busting that Traxta though? What's up with that? ⁓ okay. Shout out. ⁓ it's like Traxta. Come on. Smokey Da Bandit: Shout out that ain't a bus. Can we get a Clues bomb and shit. See ya. Damn, that blew my mind with that one. I ain't gonna lie. You said who I work with. Man, no, man. I done seen some videos where you in that... DA SMART: I did a cameo in the video Smokey Da Bandit: No, some songs. See, now I gotta go back and do my due diligence, but I gotta take your word for it. That's great. Damn. So damn, let me ask this then. Why do you think Chicago artists sometimes struggle to unite? DA SMART: Because Chicago is segregated in its own right. It's a gang bang city that segregates us. It's a white man city that segregates us. ⁓ All those reasons keep us segregated, you know. ⁓ Even when I'm talking to rappers from other sides of town, you know, it's a competition, you know. Well, the West Side did this or... Y'all didn't do this out south or, you know, I don't care. It's all Chicago to me. I don't care. But they do. So. It doesn't matter to me, it's Chicago. Us as a whole, as a, you know, having financial pull, unity to where we all could get this money, because there's plenty out here. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: We fail him. Smokey Da Bandit: working on a song. I'm finna create a song when we get off this motherfucking shit. Me and you finna have a song, nigga. DA SMART: Okay, come on. All right, congratulations on you with your new deal, man. Yes, Smokey Da Bandit: Fuck that, man, fuck that. I been asked so- Thank you. Thank you. That's crazy. ⁓ What era do you think was the best era of Chicago hip hop? DA SMART: The 90s. Yeah, man. The 90s in hip-hop. When all that Chicago shit was coming out. Maybe shy banging. That was it. You know. Smokey Da Bandit: You have your own, you got your own label, right? DA SMART: is different. I do. Smokey Da Bandit: But when was your first deal? DA SMART: First deal, my first deal was with RCA label or RCA record label. That was my only deal. I was offered deals from Motown, Jive, know, Epic, but I signed with RCA. Smokey Da Bandit: That was a big DA SMART: never came out. I was already blackballed. It was a plan to sign me and shut me up. So they just signed me and shelf me never released any of the music that I did with the bomb squad. You know, public enemies, producers, none of that ever came out because it was just, you know, plus, you know, the season was changing on music. They was changing more to the gangsta rap. And I was still on that pro black shit. So they were trying to promote that on their label. They ain't gonna help me. raise the revolution against them. yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: really was really blackball. I'm glad I picked that line out that rap. I listening, D.A. DA SMART: Absolutely. Yeah, because I wouldn't sign a deal unless I'm in control of my music. I'm getting a fair share, the percentage. My family could benefit from whatever success that I create. And if these certain things are not outlined in the contract, in most contracts, the record company own everything. And I just didn't agree with that. That's not a deal to me. Okay? So I never signed. I was offered, but I never signed. I can't do that. I don't care. How much you gonna give me? 1.5, but I'm gonna owe you 1.5. So where's the deal? You put me in debt and you own everything. So now I'm your fucking slave. Like what? That's not a deal. That's slavery. Now I gotta do 12 albums. You know? And I'm in this long ass contract that if I die I can't benefit they do so motherfuckers mysteriously die. Smokey Da Bandit: I heard about a couple of years. Yeah? DA SMART: Fuck all that, I ain't with it. I'm something else. I'm DA smart. I know better. I could read. Come on now, what that mean now? This word right here, say it again. ⁓ no, we don't want that then. Fuck that, yeah. How about that one? Yeah, they didn't like me. I don't give a fuck. This my life, my choice. So, I knew I wasn't gonna be able to go into certain. Smokey Da Bandit: Eugh. DA SMART: studios with artists and do songs with them when they was popping. I knew that because they are part of an industry that's against me. ain't with, they ain't, you can't be fucking with him. You can't give him a platform. He's not willing to agree. You feel me? Like they wanted to, but what could they do? Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. Yeah. DA SMART: And if they did, they might get charged for fucking little girls or something. don't know. ⁓ Smokey Da Bandit: Outside of rap, you've been a part of some big things. You step up for the community as well. You've been a part of the Million Man March music. DA SMART: Absolutely. ⁓ I was a member of the Nation of Islam. I was a fruit of Islam. So naturally, if that's a religion and an organization, I'm a part of, my music is geared totally like a person that turned into a Christian, right? Now he doing Christian rap. That was the situation there. I was dropping songs like, Message to the Black Man. lost and found, you know, thing that was indicative to what I was being trained and taught in the religion of Islam for the liberation of black men, women and children all over the planet. And that's what I reflected. All right. Smokey Da Bandit: Perfect. ⁓ ⁓ You're also part of a Chicago underground battle rap culture control the mic showcases and helping artists. ⁓ DA SMART: And if Absolutely. It was just another attempt of mine to just, know, galvanize the Chicago town and give them a platform to do what they do. It's just like the view and spew, you know, on a larger scale. Naturally, if we're doing it outside and it's like a drive-in, we can't do it in the winter. But, you know, these summer months we need to take advantage of. you know, do something to celebrate ourselves with ourselves and our friends. You know, that's all I'm urging hip hop artists, artists, collaborators to do. Smokey Da Bandit: You still do that? DA SMART: This was coming up on May 23rd. Smokey Da Bandit: Alright. to the motherfuckin' building. ⁓ you was also affiliated with Seawall. DA SMART: You did. Absolutely, very instrumental. And the, well, not the creation, because Seawall was already created. I kind of brought the finances from another individual that had it to Seawall because... We wanted the best producer. So in my mind, that person was the legendary Traxtor. Smokey Da Bandit: Shout out to Traxxas again. Let's flex bomb for you. DA SMART: Nip, you know? And so, you know, I think it was instrumental in aiding and assisting Seawall to get bigger than they were in. I also gave, you know, Chicago and the world do or die, Twister, newly packaged, fresh, doper, and the rest of us. Myself, what, chilling them? Smokey Da Bandit: snipers. DA SMART: Sniper's, god damn boy, what's wrong with you? And everybody else that we fucked with. It put Chicago on a level where the world was looking. Smokey Da Bandit: Chicago legendary label. Yeah. DA SMART: Yeah, it was our death row. Smokey Da Bandit: Did y'all do any tours or anything? DA SMART: Yeah, do what that poster did. Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. DA SMART: I was getting it in. Smokey Da Bandit: You got any good memories from that? DA SMART: I wasn't on tour with him. No, sir. Smokey Da Bandit: out. I hit the wrong button on that ass on some hash hit. What the fuck man, DA. ⁓ see. DA SMART: No. Smokey Da Bandit: Everybody speak highly of you though. That shit is confusing me right now. DA SMART: Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Uggghh DA SMART: And I speak highly of them, all of them. Smokey Da Bandit: Nah, ⁓ How does it feel? Somebody told me to ask you this. How does it feel to never have lost a rap battle? DA SMART: Uhhhh, solidify. Smokey Da Bandit: You never lost a rap battle? DA SMART: Yes, I have lost a rap battle. So they pay in my opinion. ⁓ Smokey Da Bandit: You didn't? Sorry, sorry. Hmm. Hoot. DA SMART: But me, I never lost a rap battle. Smokey Da Bandit: Who they say? BDA. DA SMART: A white boy on the north side. I went to some battle and show up north and yeah, they say he beat me. So I don't even remember his name. Smokey Da Bandit: Was it a crowd uproar with that though? DA SMART: like against the decision. It was some, it was some protests, but you know, not that big enough to change the decision. So I just... Smokey Da Bandit: Nobody remembers them, because from what I've been told, you've been known to eat up some of the touch-notch MCs in New York. That's what I heard. DA SMART: Yeah, well, I took my my terror on the world to black terror. He went on the road. I went to city to city, New York, down south. The West Coast everywhere. They had a talent show with a contest where money was involved. All of a sudden, this little red nigger from Chicago showed up. talking about it motherfucking body in that bitch boy and it was problems nobody could handle him no one now that I'm talking everywhere I went I was splitting heads taking names like Leonidas and the 300 my niggas Smokey Da Bandit: Thank I heard you battle a legendary MC by the name of Mad Lion. ⁓ DA SMART: I didn't bottle him, we whooped his ass. Smokey Da Bandit: Like literally? DA SMART: Yeah, it was an ass whooping. Smokey Da Bandit: Damn, like, you beat that ass. DA SMART: Well, I didn't beat that ass, I stuck his ass, but ⁓ how it happened was we was in Florida. This is when we was in Florida and we had paid to be a part of this show and Red Alert, he kept putting motherfuckers on ahead of us and shit, playing us like we want shit, you My boy was like, okay. Smokey Da Bandit: What? Yeah. DA SMART: The motherfuckers pull that bullshit one more time, go up there and snatch the mic. So I found the microphone and Smith and Wesson was on the stage and they were singing that. But how? I know if they hear me do no gun claps or some shit. Smokey Da Bandit: Smith and Wesson! DA SMART: Yeah, so I'm on they said I start singing shot town home of the original black tower a shot town I'm rapping over they shit Talking them they stopping and looking and I'm freestyling bitches. Don't let me know I'm talking about red alert telling motherfuckers. I'm taking over the show And mad lion was on stage with them and he had the balls to grab my mic out my hand Smokey Da Bandit: WHAAAT DA SMART: And as he pulled back with the mic, a fist came up to his motherfucking jaw. He disappeared and then like 30 of my friends that rode down there with me jumped on stage. Johnny P was with us. You wanna ride in the backseat of a Caddy. Look at that. Smokey Da Bandit: ARP Johnny BAM WHAT DA SMART: We break up with a swinging belt buckle that bitches. Well, we was whooping everybody ass in the whole auditorium. We shut the show down. Yes, sir. Smokey Da Bandit: Chicago, this is Chicago, n***a! DA SMART: What the is wrong with y'all? Who y'all playing with in this bitch, boy? Get me fucked up. They wrote about it all in the Source magazine. It was out there. They was like, Chicago rapper steals on Mad Lion. Smokey Da Bandit: Thanks. It was in the source? Eyyyy DA SMART: Yes, sir. Smokey Da Bandit: That's hard. DA SMART: Yeah, man. But I was talking about the 20th Zulu anniversary when I went down there and slayed everybody in the whole motherfuckin' everybody came for me. It was like 200 MCs. Jam Master Jay, Matthew Mann, and what's his name? One of the Furious Five DJs, one of the motherfuckers. They was the judges. And I was slaying motherfucker out the motherfucker. Every motherfucker came up there, get their ass beat up. They got down to one motherfucker. He act like, did he sound like Raquel? You could tell he was a New York nigga. They wanted him to win so bad. They didn't want me to win at all. They hated me because I was in that business. Every nigga from New York, these wack ass, this the mecca bitch. You got these wack ass rappers on stage. And I'm slaying y'all ass from Chi-Town. The only one was giving me my problems, Grandmaster Cass. That was the DJ name. Smokey Da Bandit: A man of bitch, and you're gonna be right there, crying your tears. DA SMART: He was like, man, Shattow came to battle. I don't give a fuck what nobody saying. Shattow, he's here to battle. Give him his prop. Jam Master Jay was on bullshit. So I started dissing Jam Master Jay ass. Fuck you too. How you gonna be with Run DMC and you? You know, I was just talking about his ass. talked to, I motherfucking called Method Man out. I even slayed a M-E-T-H-O-D, man. And Method was like, son, no son. was that niggas heads all night long. And then when I won, they didn't even give me my motherfucking prize. They was that much a hater. Smokey Da Bandit: was the prize. DA SMART: I think it was like $500 and a trophy or some bull shit like that, but they ain't give me shit. They was hating on me so bad, they ain't give me shit. Then they had a show at the Armory where I performed there and I went over there and slayed motherfuckers in the whole arm called out the whole New York. All you bitches, come on. Was slaying motherfuckers that got up on the stage and then. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, it's right on. DA SMART: All of a sudden you heard a roar in the crowd like, ⁓ you in for it now? It was King's son. He was coming to the stage, walking through the crowd. He get on stage, he on my side. He helping me slay the rest of these motherfuckers. He do better. Smokey Da Bandit: Let's see. This is the dopest. You got stories, DA. This is dopest one. Yo ass wild, nigga. DA SMART: I don't Yeah, that's what it was about. It was about being the best, being the coldest. None of y'all colder than me. Nobody here. I don't give a fuck where you from. Yo, well, mama birth you in a canoe, bitch. It don't matter. I'm slaying everybody here. Get ready to get slayed. Whoever step up here, you don't notice. That's how my balls was hanging. I didn't care. I wanted to meet them. Smokey Da Bandit: For Bees! ⁓ DA SMART: And then we tried to take all of that energy and put it into a record. My nigga was like, all right, we done toured the whole USA Slam niggas, man. We need to make a record. We need to make a song. Where could we find a motherfucker that's cold at making beats? Create as way. Smokey Da Bandit: Man. Man, D.A. So is that the craziest industry story you've ever told? Or is there any that you never told? DA SMART: Hmm. Yes, I never told I wasn't in no diddy party though Smokey Da Bandit: Bye. What's one misconception people always had about you? DA SMART: ⁓ misconception? that I'm not a nice guy. I don't know why. I figure you be angry all the time. I'm at peace. So that's the only misconception I have, man. I don't wanna do nothing. I ain't trying to make none shake, move. I'm just trying to chill and enjoy this life we have. That's it. Smokey Da Bandit: See you soon. ⁓ Have you ever turned down an opportunity that you later regretted? DA SMART: Let me see, have I? Yes. When I was at the Millions More Movement, I was accustomed to going on right before the minister came out to speak. And... ⁓ During that time, I was on stage when Erika Badu went on and her speech. And if you look at it, she was like, I'm not gonna perform. And then she looked to the side of the stage and was like, come on. She was talking to me. And I was like, no, I'm waiting for the minister to tell me to go out. And I never went out. so I should have took that opportunity. Smokey Da Bandit: Damn. DA SMART: Yep. Smokey Da Bandit: I feel that. DA SMART: Thank you. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ Did the streets ever conflict your music career? DA SMART: No, the streets, it was always love. You know, I don't know. Damn, I don't know how to explain this, man, but like, I love the streets so much, it feel like no matter where I go, they're my brothers. You know, like, if I go to LA, I wanna go to Compton. I never had a conflict. If I go to New York, I wanna go to the projects. I never had a conflict. It was like I just melt right in with what's happening. because really every ghetto's the same. It's just different languages and slangs. You know what I'm saying? So. Damn, what was the question? Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ Damn, we have. Did ⁓ the streets ever conflict your ⁓ music career? DA SMART: Give it a try. No, so no, was always love because what I learned from being in a nation of Islam and dealing with our people, it's easy to deal with our people when you know our nature, our struggle, our reasoning for what we do. You know how to maneuver properly and you know how to de-escalate situations that probably could get out of hand because you just know how to talk to the man and not at a man. It's a difference. some situations you probably can't get out of, but most of the time they never get to that point because how you approach it. So, no, I never had a lot of conflict with the streets and music. Not myself personally. Smokey Da Bandit: What does Vulture City mean to you? DA SMART: It's a backdrop to the black terror. It's like, it's what molded me, shaped me to be prepared to walk my pulse in a perfect manner, keeping on the alert to, you know, to just be aware. ⁓ Vulture City is what it is. They will swoop down on your ass if you ain't paying attention. So you got to keep your head on the swivel and know what's happening. Even in a crowded situation, even when there's a lot of noise, you still got to be able to sift through that and find the danger if need be ⁓ or the potential danger. So, yeah, Vulture City taught me that. Vulture City created the attitude that I have. being, not being afraid. You know, when you watch motherfuckers kill motherfuckers, you know, get shot, watch people get shot, shootings all the time, so-and-so died, got killed. You get a little numb and you don't have fear. You know, it's like you see it every day. So it's like, shh, what? So. ⁓ So that is what Vulture City mean to me. It gave me that, you know. And my mother took me to Vulture City. She was that. She melted in just like a melting pot. She was a aggressive woman, you know. then take no shit. Smokey Da Bandit: And neither do you. DA SMART: Hmm. Smokey Da Bandit: Sarato Mama. DA SMART: Amazing. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. ⁓ How you feel about today's era of music? you DA SMART: I love it, man. I love the music. I just, again, feel like all things that we do need a balance, especially as black people. We just can't be portrayed as jig dancing, booty clapping, gun toting, ignorant gorillas all the time. ready to go savage and be crazy and do all this shit all the time and then that reflect in our social environment. All you see is motherfuckers fighting, shootings. Fuck that. That's whack. That ain't nothing to celebrate. That's the loss of light. All right. We're not gaining in that respect. Somebody else is. So I'm, you know, that's the only thing I don't like about the oversaturation of that type of music. It began to have give people that mentality, put you on that vibration. It need balance. Shit, we need some motherfucking Fresh Prince or Bel Air motherfucker to come out and say, parents just don't understand. We need some other shit, okay? Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah DA SMART: We, everything is, everything is put your hoodie on and go, I don't know what the chopper is. And then when you walk in the street, the tension is so thick because that's what you think about everybody you see like that. It's terrible. That ain't peaceful. That's like, that's worse than living in a war zone and the abject war. It's like. Think about that stress. Everybody strapped. Niggas stressed out. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ Who would you say is the top five Chicago rappers of all time? DA SMART: Wrappers of all time. Chicago. Wow. Number one would have to be Twista. In my opinion, I think he's been dope. He's been consistently dope throughout the years and he's still dope. So he would be the best rapper. Smokey Da Bandit: That's I twist them. DA SMART: It's so many, you know. Smokey Da Bandit: This is your list. You got five, but you can take it to 10. It's up to you. DA SMART: Thank I will say Shana. Lupe. NNNN Wrapper now these are my rappers and I'm my emcees Wrappers are different Smokey Da Bandit: We gonna have to get into that then. You gonna have to break that? DA SMART: They mean commercial success when I say rappers. Smokey Da Bandit: Okay. Okay. DA SMART: Yeah, who had commercial success. And my last one will be, I got too much. Smokey Da Bandit: You got two more. No, you got one. Wait. You said Twister, Shauna, Lupe. DA SMART: Okay, I got two more. ⁓ the rap side, Lupe. I say him. Wow style of Crucial Conflict. Highly underrated. Smokey Da Bandit: You said I was down. DA SMART: He called to say hello to me. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, you're right. DA SMART: another motherfucking I would have to give it to Common to be my last one. Common sense. Common sense. Smokey Da Bandit: Start. All right, that's a solid, yeah, that's solid. Andy Humbly did not put himself on that list, y'all. Y'all ain't even peeped at. Nigga. Because he didn't, he didn't eight niggas up, like, you know. Slaughtered, destroyed, you know, he done did it. What's the best Chicago hood food spot? DA SMART: You know, I fuck with Harold's for life. Number 34, that's the one I fuck with now. If I even eat Harold's. But I don't even eat out that much no more, bro. I've changed my diet, you know. I've been eating healthy, so. I get a lot of prepared foods. I mean, I can tell you, I'm gonna be honest, that's why I went to Harrell's. That's like a Chicago staple, that's all I get. Smokey Da Bandit: So, shout out to him. If DA Smart had a versus opponent, do you watch versus? DA SMART: of you. Smokey Da Bandit: What's your favorite one? DA SMART: ⁓ I don't have one. No. I would say we're in ball, and then we got to that one. No. Smokey Da Bandit: What? What? That was a dumb one. DA SMART: It was. Smokey Da Bandit: I was there. DA SMART: Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, she was dope. She was crazy. was, it was, it was crazy. Who would you, who would you like to see in a versus battle? DA SMART: Yeah, dude. Damn. Smokey Da Bandit: You could pick. DA SMART: Damn. I mean, it had to be R. Kelly. versus Stevie Wonder. Smokey Da Bandit: WHA- That's hard! ⁓ DA SMART: R. Kelly can't. Nobody else can talk with R. Kelly. You have to go back to your landing. Yeah. Thanks. Smokey Da Bandit: A lot of people be saying when they do talk about versus and they talk about R Kelly they be like, hey, nobody fuck with him, but nobody says Stevie. You know how Stevie what? DA SMART: Exactly. He got volumes, he got hits, know. Niggas will remember that. Motherfuck get up there, start singing. He'll be like, ⁓ damn, that's Stevie too? God damn, that nigga was getting it there. He was R Kelly. Shit. Back then. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, that's a hard one. DA SMART: Producing his own shit producing for other people making his own music. He was the writer the producer every fucking Yeah, and that's who R. Kelly looked up to, That's the only one living. Other than that, R. Kelly, I have to go, you have to put him against his self. Ain't nobody fucking with him. Not for him. But Stevie. Yeah, Stevie can fuck with him. That'll be a good battle. In my opinion, but ain't nobody else. no, ain't no nobody. No tanks, no Tyrese, Stop it, don't even think about it. Just give up on the thought. Yeah, you go back to Stevie, good job. Now we somewhere, because he got volumes. Come on. Smokey Da Bandit: Who's one Chicago artist you wish you collaborated with? DA SMART: R Kelly. Yeah, I think his music. Damn, it so accepted everywhere that it... It busts down walls for Chicago in representation. Okay. He was killing shit. Back to back for years. Smokey Da Bandit: for years. DA SMART: Okay, just hit out the crazy shit, you know? So, just, to me, ⁓ next to Prince and Michael Jackson, he's one of the greatest artists in our time. Smokey Da Bandit: you I agree. DA SMART: I mean, if this nigga can't read and he can write songs for Michael Jackson, one of the greatest pop singers that ever lived, ever. OK, if he can do that for him and put him back on, give him a hit. That's bonkers. Ain't nobody fucking with that dude. Be quiet sometimes. Smokey Da Bandit: you Facts! Damn, DA. DA SMART: I'm gonna have to figure out how to go visit R. Kelly. I need to go visit him. Just to figure it out. I knew R. Kelly. If you listen to Aliyah down with the click, he shout me out in it. He say, we got the DA to the smart in our click. Smokey Da Bandit: Bye. you know? ED! DA SMART: Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ crazy, that's crazy. Bye. That's history right there. DA SMART: Yeah, but I wish we could have, you know, worked together. You know, with his ability to produce. Shit. Smokey Da Bandit: was wonderful. DA SMART: I know he could have surrounded me, could have made some shit together, man. I mean, real talk. I just felt that way. just, you know, we still can't, he not dead and he might get out. So we probably still can't. It ain't over. So. Smokey Da Bandit: to Kelv. If you hear this Kelv. DA SMART: eating. Smokey Da Bandit: because he been sending songs through the phone. That's hard. It's killing shit still. DA SMART: So, you know, but of course I do want to do something with Twista, you know, everybody. Lupe, all the people that I mentioned, Shana. I love them as rappers, know, niggas that can flow, that got it. I love them. I think they represent us in the crowd very well. You know, every time I listen to Chance the Rapper, I'm surprised how dope he is, you know. I mean, like, damn, this nigga. He sound like he drunk but he be flowing his ass off. I'm gonna tell you at the principal's office. Ain't spittin' no soft shit. You he be gettin' it though. I fuck with that. Smokey Da Bandit: Bye. You said you partake. I done put this blunt out. You be having me into this. The stories man, it's hard. Hey, Slow man, DA. Thank you for. DA SMART: Mm-hmm. Man, my brother. Yes, sir. No doubt. No doubt. Yes, sir. Smokey Da Bandit: But you said you partake, right? So I think I'm, I didn't did this before, but this the dude I'm stoned. This the dude I'm stoned. Gang. DA SMART: Okay. Smokey Da Bandit: Blunts, papers, bowls, or bongs? DA SMART: bloods. Smokey Da Bandit: Blunts. DA SMART: Yes sir. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ Backwoods or Swiss and Sweets? Ayy. What's your favorite blunt? DA SMART: Blackwood Russian cream. Smokey Da Bandit: What's your favorite stone or movie? DA SMART: Have a great day. Smokey Da Bandit: I beg. DA SMART: Half-Baked Goddamn Dave Chappelle Smokey Da Bandit: I think the last couple people said this too. DA SMART: Yeah, that's that's one of the best the best to me and how high how high was good as fuck too I fuck without high foot Smokey Da Bandit: Okay, yeah. If you could smoke with anybody, who would it be? If you could smoke with anybody, that's the... DA SMART: Damn. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah, anybody. ain't even gonna say celebrity. I wanna know who your favorite stoner that you would smoke with. Who would it be? DA SMART: Mmm, Willie Nelson, god damn it. Smokey Da Bandit: EEEE Why Willie? DA SMART: Cause Willie been smoking forever. You know, I just, he reminds me of weed like people think of Snoop is blunt. He the he the white man Snoop. God damn it. as far as I'm concerned, white people have the best weed all the time. I'ma keep it real. I'ma keep it real. Smokey Da Bandit: I hope you have some gas! DA SMART: So I would wanna fuck with Willie Delson, man. Just sit on the porch with his American flag rag on and get high with him and talk some shit. Smokey Da Bandit: Shout out to Willie. Willie, let's make that happen. DA SMART: Yeah, maybe. Smokey Da Bandit: ⁓ The spasories are the streets. DA SMART: streets. Smokey Da Bandit: What? DA SMART: ⁓ I don't know man. I just think the dispensaries controlled and I think I'm thinking now even the streets are controlled so I'm a little worried. Smokey Da Bandit: Bail. What's your favorite string? DA SMART: Good weed. Smokey Da Bandit: Straight up. just caring about the name. DA SMART: Good lead, man. Smokey Da Bandit: Smell it, smell it. Okay. ⁓ DA SMART: Yes, that shit smell good, taste good, and feel good, we cool. Some more of that, yeah, right there. Smokey Da Bandit: You grinders or fingertips. DA SMART: or any of those are fingertips. Yeah, break it down with the fingertips. Smokey Da Bandit: Okay, I thought you said grand. I thought it was thinking. DA SMART: Nah, fingertips, I'm ⁓ I like breaking it up. You can tell what you smoking. Smokey Da Bandit: Bregan. Hahaha If animals could talk, which one would be the most annoying? DA SMART: I'm fucking gorilla. Big-ass gorilla talking to you, you will always be worried what you'll say around that, but it's like Tyson with no brain. Shit, he's dangerous. Smokey Da Bandit: Whoa! DA SMART: Fucker talking and shit and communicating. Don't say the wrong shit. I don't really like banana. What motherfucker? Smokey Da Bandit: was fun. That was dope. Would you do a verses? DA SMART: I don't have enough public music to do a verses with nobody. Like when I got two albums, one is the Millions More Movement album, the other one is Nation Business. Both of them is really message hip hop. It ain't no, put it on radio. So whoever go against it, you got X Clan in this motherfucker. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. ⁓ All right. Who deserves more respect in Chicago culture? DA SMART: Thanks Who deserve more respect? Damn. damn me. Yeah, D.A. Smart. He deserved more respect. Smokey Da Bandit: Skippy. Bam, Skippy. DA SMART: Yeah. Smokey Da Bandit: Even though all out here is good things. You blew my mind with this interview. Thank you. DA SMART: You're welcome, It's my pleasure, to be here at the smoking session. My nigga's smoking. The bandit. Bitch ass! My cat William voice. Smokey Da Bandit: Got anything you want to promote that you got going on? DA SMART: Hey, the View and Spew, man. May 23rd, 6.30 until, man. Come fellowship Chicago hip hop. Bring your friends out too, man. We're going to have food fun and it's going to be safe. Boom. Smokey Da Bandit: So. ⁓ If people wanted to know... If people was to get familiar with D.A. after this interview, aside from walk with me, what song you think they should go to first? DA SMART: ⁓ What you niggas wanna do? Secondhand smoke, know. I don't know if y'all ever heard one life to live. Smokey Da Bandit: That's my seat! Yeah, what's up, Nick? Yeah DA SMART: Yeah, that's what you do. Smokey Da Bandit: I appreciate you coming on man. You been a... Man, I love you man. You a legend. A living legend. And we gon' get a record done. Fuck. If I gotta write it, ⁓ I'ma figure it out. I gotta figure it out. Cause I gotta come with that DA. I gotta come with that DA. DA SMART: Thank you, bro. Appreciate you having me, Love you too, brother. Let's go, Goddamn. Come on. Smokey Da Bandit: I don't wanna you you said a lot of this interview so it's like I you can't about that with da nigga we got to come over here and set the record straight and It was man before I end this shit make sure y'all go fuck with da man. What the fuck is going on out here, These motherfucking collabs back DA SMART: Yeah. Come on. balloon. That's right. Get with your boy. I'm her. Smokey Da Bandit: Yeah. All right, man. Thank you, man. Thank you for your time. I appreciate you. See you Love. Have a good night. DA SMART: The little smoke. Love brother. Peace.